Struggling families in East Ham have told how a local community group is their lifeline this winter, just over a year after it was saved from closure.

The Family Hub at Bonny Downs Community Centre (BDCA), which supports families worst hit by escalating costs, was awarded £52,972 by Cadent, the UK’s largest gas network distributor as part of its national ‘Centres for Warmth’ campaign.

Local families on very low incomes can access the Family Hub for support with debt and benefit advice, cooking workshops, and children’s clothes and toys. BDCA was selected as the first London based charity to be named a ‘Centre for Warmth’ from Cadent, with funding also used to support the weekly food pantry.

Single mum-of-three Fatema is amongst those who have turned to the Family Hub this winter and says without the service she wouldn’t be able to afford food and school uniform for her children.

Fatema, who moved from Portugal to the UK seven years ago, explains: “The Family Hub has been a genuine lifeline for me. I don’t know where I’d be without the support, the centre has helped me so much. I am a single mum to three children and since the cost of living crisis I’ve struggled with essentials such as food and uniform for my children. I was recently hit with a huge household bill, and I turned to the Family Hub who has been able to help me get it paid.”

For Cyrill, who doesn’t speak English, it’s the social interaction which has had the biggest impact on her as being part of the Family Hub has helped combat loneliness.

“If it wasn’t for the Family Hub, I would be at home alone which can be very isolating. For me, it’s not just about popping down to pick up an item of clothing one of my children needs, it’s the connections I’ve made – everyone feels like family.”

Fatema and Cyrill have also been attending slow cooker sessions, which have been funded by Cadent to educate local residents on how to create affordable, healthy energy efficient meals at home.

Sulthana Begum, Co-Director at Bonny Downs Community Association, said: “We’ve been facing another difficult winter and many local families rely on the support of the services we provide. With Cadent’s help, we have been able to keep our Family Hub running, and share simple but effective money-saving tips with our centre users – but the support goes way beyond this. We receive training so that we can offer advice on a range of topics, from energy efficiency, debt management, benefit entitlement, as well as how to sign up to the Priority Services Register.”

Centres for Warmth are based within community centres across the UK and provide warm, safe and
welcoming spaces for local people. They are a lifeline for many families, providing support with money management and energy advice.

Cadent is running its ‘A little energy can save a lot’ campaign for the second time this year to help customers struggling to cope with household finances as they face yet another challenging winter.

Community hubs in North London are now invited to apply for part of the £500k new funding boost to become one of Cadent’s new Centre for Warmth locations.

If selected, employees at the hubs will be supported and trained to offer advice to visitors on a range of topics including home energy efficiency, debt management, benefit entitlement, as well as how to sign up to the Priority Services Register. Entrants are advised to check the entry criteria before applying.