Pret Waterloo Road

(1) the relief of poverty, sickness and distress, the protection of health and the advancement of education (2) the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare, such facilities being provided with the object of improving the conditions of life of the persons for whom they are primarily intended. those persons having need of such

COOH helps children, young people and families across Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth and Greenwich strengthen their wellbeing, confidence and stability through trusted community programmes and practical support. Come Out of Hiding – The Lighthouse Network CIC (COOH) is a Christian organisation and we welcome and serve people of all faiths and no faith. Founded in 2015 and incorporated as a Community Interest Company in 2018, we provide safe, welcoming spaces where people can connect, receive support, learn new skills and take part in opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach. Our programmes include: • Let’s Get Messy – creative, wellbeing and movement activities for children aged 3–10. • STEPs: Let’s Level Up – mentoring, employability, enterprise, financial capability, leadership and life-skills activities for young people aged 11–17. • Let’s Get Moving – physical activities, community trips and family experiences. • Let’s Talk – mental and emotional wellbeing conversations and safe spaces. • Let’s Get Fed – food, basic essentials and practical support for households experiencing hardship. • Let’s Be Light (for those who choose this) – Christian leadership, volunteering and community social action. We also provide community drop-ins, family forums, community meals, seasonal holiday activities, employer visits, work experience and signposting to other services. Our whole-family approach recognises that children and young people are more likely to thrive when their parents, carers and wider household are also supported. COOH has delivered more than 6,700 participant hours and has built trusted relationships with local residents, community organisations, NHS services, housing providers, businesses and funders. The support we need most includes surplus food, toiletries, household essentials, school supplies, clothing, refreshments and materials for our activities. We also welcome volunteers who can support youth and children’s sessions, community drop-ins, food distribution, mentoring, employability workshops, events, administration, fundraising, communications and professional advice. Financial donations help us respond when a family needs urgent assistance, cover activities and travel for children and young people, provide welcoming community sessions and ensure trained staff and volunteers are available to deliver our work safely.

We are a Community Hall run by the Tenants and Residents Association of China Walk Estate, a council estate with many people on a low income. We run a food bank on Tuesday mornings to provide food for people on the estate and the surrounding community, including homeless people. The food bank is open to everyone. We also provide food when we can to elderly people who meet at the hall for coffee mornings, bingo and sewing groups. Currently we receive a delivery of food from City Harvest and we also collect food from Brixton Hub but our numbers are growing rapidly so we would love to increase our surplus food supply. We do not charge anything and are happy to help anyone in the community who needs help. We provide tea, coffee and snacks at our Tuesday morning foodbank as well as a warm place to sit. We are not a registered charity, just a Community Hall. We do not charge anything for our food and any food we would receive via Neighbourly would be free of charge. The hall offers many activities to the community including free of charge Aikido, Yoga for Mental Health and Chair Pilates. Coffee morning and bingo and sewing classes are provided for a very small charge. We also put on free parties for people in the community and run subsidised coach trips to the seaside and to Christmas Markets.