Tottenham community shows its Christmas spirit

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has left many families struggling to properly celebrate Christmas – but community organisations in Tottenham have stepped up to help.

Staff at Morning Star Nursery set up a ‘toy bank’ and asked parents to donate new toys. The family-owned business, based in Forster Road, donated the toys to local families with ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) who find it difficult to put presents under the Christmas tree – partnering with Haringey Council’s children and young people’s service to distribute them.

People and families with NRPF are ‘subject to immigration control’ under Section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. This means that they cannot claim payments such as benefits and housing assistance. Morning Star Nursery manager Beverliegh Bossman said they are “suffering” as a result and added: “There are people with children who are struggling and they just have to get on with it.”

Women With A Voice (WWAV) is community organisation set up as a safe space for women who have experienced domestic abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM) and modern-day slavery. Based in Northumberland Park, WWAV hosts a group cook-up for the women supported by their service and also facilitates wellbeing programmes and activities, providing 30 food parcels every week.

Natasha Johnson, founder of Women With A Voice, said: “Many families are facing hardship since Covid and we have realised that there has been a rise in foodbanks and women and their families needing support.”

This Christmas, WWAV has provided 50 ‘festive hampers’ to help vulnerable women “put a proper meal together” on Christmas Day and tackle food poverty during the festive season. Each hamper includes festive food and snacks, tinned curries, ready-made meals and toiletries.

“The idea behind it is that no family should go hungry during the festive season,” said Natasha, who also runs Kitchen on the Street, a community organisation that provides free three-course meals every first and third Saturday of the month.

Kitchen on the Street is partnering with Blooming Scent Cafe, The Trampery and Source Divine VIP to host a ‘community festive dinner’ on Christmas Day. It began with pampering sessions by Source Divine VIP, a hairdressing salon on West Green Road, providing free haircuts and styling. A three-course Christmas dinner of different cultural foods was served and there was also a card-making session, a Christmas-themed karaoke and a Christmas movie showing in the reception area of The Trampery in Tottenham High Road.

Gina Moffwat, owner of Blooming Scent Cafe, which is adjacent to The Trampery, said she wanted to “make a little difference” this Christmas. “I want to give something back. So I thought, ‘what a lovely way to do so’ in the community that I love the most.”