£1,002,451 raised in our Summer Give

Our Summer Give matched fundraising campaign has been our most successful ever. The £1m raised will fund 47 charities to support the needs of over 15,000 London children this summer, helping to alleviate the impact of child poverty with a diverse range of activities including, camping, cooking, sports of all kinds, sailing, climbing, drama, circus skills, music, writing and just having fun.

To learn more about the stark summer holiday experiences of children living in poverty in London please read our new report below or watch this feature by CH4 News that covered our research.

The results of our survey point to a childhood in crisis for those living in poverty. While their better off peers enjoy time off from school spending time on holidays with family, engaging in enriching activities, travel and play, children from disadvantaged families face hunger, violence, sexual abuse, and exploitation or worse by gangs or older children similarly disadvantaged. Such adversity undoes the valiant efforts of schools to break down the barriers of child poverty by setting children back educationally by up to a whole term. In the light of this fact alone, the cuts to youth services are a false economy and a tragedy for the life chances and well being of the capitals poorest children. Children are facing a summer holiday from hell unless they can access free or very low cost local support and activities. That support is more than likely to come from the services of a charity rather than a Local Authority funded project.

It is our vision that no child should ever have to go hungry in London or be afraid of violence or abuse during the holidays. Every Local Authority should ensure that all children, regardless of family income have somewhere safe to play and enough nutritious food to eat. Without this investment we risk further widening the gap in children’s life chances and in the long term, destabilising civil society in the capital

Laurence Guinness