A Christmas surprise for homeless families in Wealdstone

On Monday 21 December, staff volunteers from Network Homes surprised homeless families living in a Wealdstone hostel by delivering Christmas presents for the children.

The hostel, which is run by Network, provides temporary homes for 17 families including 24 children aged between one and 12 who are currently waiting for permanent housing.

The volunteers (joined by Santa Claus himself!) delivered presents including Lego, board games, remote control cars and dolls to open on Christmas morning.

Staff had already raised over £600 to buy supplies for three food banks in Brent, Brixton and Hertford, but with money left over, we decided to use it to buy presents for the children living at the hostel.

Tracey Ferreira, commercial property portfolio manager at Network Homes who organised the event, said: “We’ve all had a difficult year because of the pandemic, but imagine what it’s been like for people who don’t have a permanent place to call home. Many of the families living in the hostel have experienced hardship and we wanted to do something special and add a bit of festive magic by surprising the children with a gift to open on Christmas day. To see the look on the children’s faces was truly a blessing - a real reminder of the important role housing associations play in communities and why we come to work each day.”