The appeal is needed more than ever this year, with local children and their families facing continued difficulties and challenges with the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic compounded by an unprecedented cost of living crisis. Sadly, all the available evidence shows it is the children already in need who have and will suffer more than anyone else, with vulnerable families expected to be pushed deeper into poverty through no fault of their own, creating increased hardship for many years to come.

Furthermore, the pandemics relentless grip on our communities and the resulting loss of life, increasing unemployment and deteriorating mental health it is causing for families who were already struggling, is resulting in many of these families, through no fault of their own, being pushed back into need, desperately requiring help and support.

Each child helped will be experiencing the ravages of poverty each and every day, compounded by their own bespoke combination of multiple difficulties and challenges, such as poor and/or temporary accommodation, food hunger, poor wellbeing, emotional needs, educational underachievement, behavioural difficulties, disability and/or additional needs, being a victim of personal abuse or violence, bereavement etc.

At Christmas, each family helped does not receive any extra money to help them provide the gifts and seasonal foods that so many of us are lucky enough to take for granted, instead they are expected to stretch their already inadequate income - that is already putting them into poverty, even further and it is just not possible.

Together we can make a real difference for Newhams most disadvantaged, vulnerable and at-risk children this Christmas.