The Mayor of Lewisham officially launches the Lewisham Winter Appeal for 2022
This Black Friday, Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan is calling on local residents to consider making a donation to help the Young Lewisham Project, the Mayor’s chosen charity of the year. The Young Lewisham Project provides a safe learning environment where young people can learn skills and build confidence to maximise their chances of becoming valued members of society.
Young Lewisham Project work with up to 200 young people each year and offer a wide range of supportive alternative vocational programmes who may not be achieving in mainstream education, delivering projects, activities and trips during term time and over the weekend.
Programmes take place in site in their workshops, with activities including motorbike mechanics & bike maintenance, woodwork, furniture restoration and upcycling, art and crafts, gardening and allotment work and cooking. Through these alternative educational courses and team recreational activities they aim to re-engage young people, increase their confidence and wellbeing along with improving their skills and self-esteem.
For this year's appeal Lewisham residents can donate to help provide festive gifts and resources for young people to use at the project.
Some examples of what donations can help to provide:
- £5 for a small grooming and toiletries care package
- £5 for a festive lunch
- £15 for bicycle lights for cycle safety
- £15 for boxing gloves for the gym
- £60 for a bicycle helmet and protective gloves
- £100 - £150 to renovate and service a bike, and training on maintenance and road user safety
- £350 for a new bike, and training on maintenance and road user safety
- £1500 for a new MacbookPro for the media production studio to teach professional skills in order to better equip the young people for adult life.
Malachi Harris, Young Lewisham Project student, 15, said: “"It would be so good if we could have some more equipment for the gym, we always want to do more in there and there isn't always enough gloves and stuff for us all. Young Lewisham give out free bikes to so many people, it would be good if they had more, so they can help more kids."
Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, said: “The Lewisham Youth Project are a life-changing small local charity working with young people in Lewisham. They focus on practical lifetime skills like mechanics, bike and motorbike repair, cookery, sports – they’re even training people to become plumbers and electricians. They work with local children who are often having a hard time a school and as they’re a small all money raised makes a big difference.”
In previous years the Mayor has raised over £200,000 for Lewisham food bank, the 999 Club and the Lewisham Mayoresses’ lunch box appeal.