I’m a firm believer that Christmas should be about giving in the traditional sense – in spirit, in time and in care – as much as it should be about the exchanging of gifts. This festive holiday in particular allows us the time to reach out to family and friends but also, I believe, to the wider community. This is why I’m proud to share my upcoming involvement with Thames Reach – an important charity dedicated to improving the lives of those who are homeless and vulnerable.
They are a London-based charity that assists those who find themselves homeless and those who are perhaps vulnerable to becoming so – providing hostels, help with rent and facilitating integration in to society. They also help those who are struggling to meet rents and who are therefore susceptible to homelessness, thereby working on preventative measures in addition to helping those who are already sleeping rough.
It’s a cause that is particularly significant during the winter months, when homelessness is even harder to bear. Myself and a junior colleague, Josh Porter, will be joining Thames Reach volunteers in the run up to and during the holiday period. This will include working on the streets to share the good work of Thames Reach with the homeless; informing them of hostels and how they may be able to get help. We will also be attending the hostels themselves, to see how tough it is for people who live in these uncertain conditions and to offer them support and companionship during what can be a very lonely time.
In addition to this grass-roots support I will be shooting a video with the aim of raising awareness for Thames Reach. They do an incredible job and it’s important to me that charities are visible in order that they receive the valuable financial support from the public, ensuring that their tireless efforts are possible in the first place.
Their ultimate goal is to eradicate homelessness for good and so as well as helping the vulnerable themselves they also lobby government to ensure that policy is geared towards helping stave off homelessness. This is an ongoing effort and is again made possible through their sheer hard work but also the donations of others. I have set up a justgiving page dedicated to the Thames Reach charity – you can find the link at the bottom of this page.
I hope you will see the good in Thames Reach as much as I do and so dig in your pockets to give something back this Christmas. We all love and celebrate the holiday period in style, it’s important to spare a thought for others who are in a far less fortunate position than we are. If you would also like to donate some of your time then Thames Reach are always looking for more volunteers, find the link to their site here.
Please Donate today every penny counts. https://www.justgiving.com/thamesreach-seodesk-xmas