HandsOn London

Why we need mens coats! WrapUp aims to get as many preloved coats as possible to those in need during the challenging winter season, but as the statistics show, males make up the majority of Londons homeless population. If your team is hosting a coat collection for WrapUp this year, we encourage you to spread the word. And if you have any male or unisex coats at home that you no longer wear or need, consider donating them to WrapUp next month, to help keep London's vulnerable communities warm. Our 40+ drop-off locations will be live on our website next week - stay tuned to find out the closest one to you. Thank you!

Pictured here with WrapUp Project Manager Alex are volunteers from Zeta Global, who used their time volunteering at @wsponycentre to also donate some of their preloved coats - the first donations of our winter campaign. Thank you Zeta! If you are wondering how to get your team involved in WrapUp London, there is still time to arrange a workplace collection. Next week, we will also be sharing details of our 40+ drop off points around London, where you can donate any warm winter coats no longer worn. Please note, we are especially seeking men's coats. In the meantime, if you are part of a corporate team joining us on a volunteering day any time soon, bring along a coat - or two!

Volunteering Opportunity! Is your company due a team-building day? Or maybe you are yet to fulfil your volunteering day, and reach your CSR targets? Either way, volunteering for WrapUp London is an amazing opportunity to build stronger relationships within your team, and give back to the community in what is the most challenging period of the year for those in need. WrapUp is fast approaching, and we are thrilled by the number of teams who have already signed up to show their support. That said, we have a few spots left for our popular Waterloo Station volunteering on the 6th of November, just a few hours of your morning of raising awareness and collecting donations. We are also seeking enthusiastic teams (10-15 volunteers each) to support us between the 16th and 20th December at our sorting sessions. By joining us, your team will play a key part in a brilliant campaign that see’s thousands of pre-loved coats collected and distributed to our partner charities. Get in touch via wulvolunteers@handsonlondon.org.uk to learn more. 

Next week is London Challenge Poverty Week, an awareness raising initiative coordinated by 4in10 - London's Child Poverty Network. London may be one of the wealthiest cities in the world, but 4 in 10 children live in poverty in London, a devastating reality. #LDNChallengePoverty Week is shaped by people with lived experience of poverty, and organisations in the voluntary and community sectors that support such people. Fortunately, so many are already committed to active campaigning that gives a voice to those suffering from poverty, but #LDNChallengePoverty week is an opportunity to make even more noise, and demand our new government to act. HandsOn strive to challenge poverty in every way we can. One way is through our volunteer initiatives, direct collaborations with charities that aid underprivileged communities. Our STEM project involves creating stimulating booklets for children from low income backgrounds, who cannot easily access educational materials outside of school. Volunteers design engaging activities on these 4 subjects - Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths - which are compiled into booklets and distributed to our charity partners. In the image below are some examples from this week's STEM volunteer session. By introducing STEM through engaging activities, we hope to inspire children to pursue new areas of interest and educational opportunity. Beginning on the 14th October, #LDNChallengePoverty Week features London Child Poverty Summit, a key event that explores ‘How London’s places and spaces impact our disadvantaged children and families’. There are also many other events, both virtual and in person, featuring discussions, training resources and an opportunity to connect with the people and organisations who are striving hard to tackle poverty. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eP8idXhz

This is a really rewarding role. HandsOn London supports around 140 community groups within London and also runs the annual WrapUp London campaign. whilst we are sadly needing to look for a new treasurer, we are a growing charity, so if a trustee role with us appeals but you do not have a financial back please get in touch with our CEO Jon Meech: jon@handsonlondon.org.uk

WrapUp London returns for its 14th year! Every winter, thousands of Londoners, including hundreds of volunteers, give their time to donate, sort and distribute coats to help people in need keep warm this winter.    WrapUp 2024 kicks off on the 5th of November, with tube station collections running between the 5th and 7th (Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Waterloo and London Bridge). Our drop off points for individual and office collections will take place across the city and Greater London, and will be published later this month.    The number of those living in crisis in the city is rising, and the winter months are often the most challenging for people already enduring homelessness and poverty. A person’s spare coat and another’s spare time can not only help keep a person warm, it can keep them alive.   For more information about the campaign, head to our website: https://lnkd.in/dN8qE95h If you would like to volunteer as a team either at our tube stations or sorting hub, or host a workplace collection, please get in touch via: wulvolunteers@handsonlondon.org.uk Here at HandsOn London, we are always amazed by the generous support from volunteers and in particular our sponsors. We are always interested to hear from new potential sponsors to help  us with logistics of getting the coats to their many destinations.

Yesterday we teamed up with HandsOn London to prepare toiletry kits with essential hygiene items for those in need. HandsOn London are a fantastic charity who make a huge difference to people who need a helping hand across London – check out some of their great work here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/epsfHzdc

Our colleagues in London once again teamed up with charity HandsOn London, this time on behalf of Children's Book Project. We were proud to donate an assortment of books, and spent the day volunteering at the Project’s storage and distribution facility. We also donated to maintain Children’s Book Project’s delivery network. #NikkoAM #LiteracyDay #handsonlondon #handsonheroes #londonvolunteering

Great Aderant Day of Service yesterday for some of the EMEA team. We got to support HandsOn London in Holland Park to fix and maintain the paths in the forest area used by some of the local school children. HandsOn London is a great charity and we're very lucky to have the support from Aderant to be able to help our local areas. #Aderant #BetterTogether #Charity #HandsOnLondon

Fantastic day working with the charity HandsOn London as part of their BrightenUp London project. It was great to get out with the team and have a positive impact on the environment!