News - Page 6 of 6 - Bonny Downs Community Association

School donates harvest

This week, the staff and pupils of Brampton Primary School surprised us with a donation for the foodbank.

But it wasn’t just any ordinary donation, as you can see from this photo – it’s the biggest we’ve seen in a LONG time! From pasta and rice, to chocolate and cake mixes, and toiletries and household essentials too, this haul of goodies will go a long way to help our neighbours in need this autumn!

News

BDCA wins £100k grant

The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded a grant of £99,616 to fund our new project designed to assist Newham’s recovery from the pandemic.

The grant will enable BDCA to deliver Voices for Change, a programme of activities and services which will empower residents and support them to build a better and healthier community by working collaboratively together. This is expected to include:

People Stories

Meet Chandra

Chandra’s story: “Walking football has positive effects, not just on my health but my social life too!”

Thinking back to 2016, Chandra recalls: “My health was good but my weight was averaging 92-93 kilos, and my GP had diagnosed me as pre-diabetic.” His doctor recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week and Walking Football is at the heart of his new regime.

Interviews

Poverty and the pandemic

An interview with Angie Allgood, Poverty Response Project Co-ordinator

Did you realise what you were in for when lockdown was announced?

No! It all happened so quickly. I felt like we were moving into this strange, parallel universe and I had no idea how long it would last and how busy we would be – we were just concentrating on getting everything set up.

People Stories

Meet Maruf

Maruf’s story: “You treated me with compassion and now I’m giving something back!”

Maruf lives near our Community Centre. His family, including a wife and two young children, are from overseas, have lived in London for more than ten years, and have a legal right to remain in the UK.

Interviews

Our Crisis Response Story

In the words of our Volunteers!

When the Coronavirus struck in Newham, we knew that demand for our foodbank, which has been running weekly since 2013, would rise. We also realised that the most vulnerable in our community were going to need extra help. So we quickly set up a hub to enable us to get emergency relief packs of food and essentials to people stuck at home through illness or shielding.