What do you do?
Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation (HCEO) was established in 1985 and incorporated as a charitable company in 1996. Whilst our initial focus was to address the culturally sensitive needs of the African Caribbean community, we have grown into a socially inclusive community organisation that seeks to ensure that all older people in the wider community thrive. We provide a mix of services including a day service (including lunch), an advocacy service, money management support project, a mental wellbeing group, arts and exercise project. We deliver our services both at our Leswin Road office and in the community.

We are a much needed and valued sanctuary for elderly, often vulnerable individuals in the borough, many who have accessed our services for years. We have developed a clear understanding of the needs of our service users as their health and other life circumstances change. HCEO aims to maximise opportunities, raise standards of living, promote and support independence for senior citizens who reside in Hackney and its environs. Our model of delivery is extremely successful and we are currently experiencing a high level of demand. Our beneficiaries are made up of elderly people in Hackney and surrounding boroughs and we deliver our services both in the community and at our Leswin Road address.
We currently provide services for over 90 people per year across all our services and we are aware that 40% of this group have experienced improved health and less hospital attendances due to our services.

What areas of the community do you work with?
Elderly people – with multiple health and mobility conditions

What will you use the money for?
The money will be used for paying for transport costs for the most vulnerable elders with mobility issues who would be unable to attend our services without this assistance.
We pay £21,000 per year for a transport service that is specialised and tailored to the needs of elderly people with a range of chronic health conditions such as dementia, stroke, mobility and other health conditions.

Individuals accessing this service cannot utilise local transport services, buses, trains etc. for many reasons (low confidence, cannot step up on a bus, needing to be accompanied due to dementia) and without our service would not attend our centre, staying at home and becoming housebound, less mobile and more isolated.

How much money are you looking for?
Our Transport costs are £21,000 per year. We are grateful for any donation regardless of size, as it would help us reduce these costs.

What do you do?
We are an open access adventure playground providing free, supervised play and leisure activities to all children regardless of ability, ethnicity, cultural and socio-economic status. We are open all year round giving the children and young people of Hackney somewhere to go and socialise with their peers, play and learn transient skills such as gardening, cooking, arts and crafts and sports. We provide support workers to enable children with additional needs the same play opportunities as their non disabled peers. Through being open 5 days per week throughout the year we give children and young people a sense of ownership of their leisure time. We encourage social and community cohesion through being open to all.

Through staff observations and intense monitoring of the inclusion project we are able to see the difference we are making to children’s lives, especially those with additional needs. We often see children who once needed 1:1 support have their support needs decreased as they become more able within a mainstream environment . We see the ability , both physically and mentally, and the confidence of all our user group grow during their time in our child led play and leisure facility.

What areas of the community do you work with?
Children and young people aged 5-15 (up to 18 for young people with a disability)

What will you use the money for?
We are constantly seeking funds to ensure we are able to be fully staffed during our extremely school holiday schemes where we have between 100-130 children per day visit us.All funds raised would go towards the cost of staffing during school holiday periods. Both play and support workers.

How much money are you looking for?
As much as anyone is willing to donate. From £100-£3000

What do you do?
Eat or Heat is a foodbank and registered charity run entirely by volunteers. We give emergency food aid to people who have been referred to us by professional bodies and organisations, who have identified that  there is a need for urgent intervention, having evaluated their circumstances. We support these agencies by providing much needed food to individuals and families across Waltham Forest. Some people referred to us we see multiple times if they have complex need, some only need a quick fix while they undergo a short period of financial hardship.

What areas of the community do you work with?
Vulnerable people and families in need of emergency food aid, between 30-40 referrals a week.

What will you use the money for?
The majority of money is used to maintain our stock level. Last year, despite donations of food from our supporters, we spent some £6,500 on food. We have recently spent money on new storage shelving, as the old shelving was not fit for purpose, it has also increased our storage capacity. We have also refurbished our office space with a table and chairs in order that we can hold meetings in a reasonable degree of comfort.

How much money are you looking for?
We would be happy with any financial donation.