Toys, games and books for Drop-in Centre kids

by Streatham Drop-in Centre in London, England, United Kingdom

Toys, games and books for Drop-in Centre kids
We did it
On 20th April 2021 we successfully raised £7,072 ( + est. £835.50 Gift Aid ) with 130 supporters in 303 days

Help us to purchase toys, books, games and resources for asylum seeker and refugee children in Lambeth

by Streatham Drop-in Centre in London, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

Any additional funds will be donated to the Drop-in Centre



The services we provide make a real difference to the children and the parents of children  we support. With your help in donations and/or spreading the word about the Streatham Drop-in Centre for Asylum Seekers and Refugees, we can adapt and deliver and continue to ensure that our children, who have just as much right to play and have fun like any other child, are given the opportunities they deserve.

Our staff and volunteers are working hard to provide emotional and strategic support to our families, but we need your help and support to enable us to continue to support children and family members in our community.

We are fundraising to purchase toys, games, books and other play resources so that we can deliver these to our families who will otherwise have little or no resources for play activities over the summer months. 

With your support we hope to raise enough to spend £35 on each of our 150 children.  

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Who are we?

We are an independent grassroots Lambeth charity and our aim is to provide a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for refugee and asylum seeker individuals and families in our Lambeth community.

We have supported the community for nearly twenty years providing services for asylum-seeking and refugee families who often experience disadvantage, poverty and exclusion.

Many of our families have young children.

Many of our families are subject to the government’s condition of No Recourse to Public Funds* and as a result, families struggle to pay for healthy meals and weather-appropriate clothing, let alone toys, games and books for leisure

We face head-on the effect of poor public attitudes towards migrant people which can leave children feeling ashamed of their background.

We perform a critical role in providing a safe and fun environment for children with complex needs and children with special needs.

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Over the years we have planned and delivered a range of children’s activities to provide a fun and safe environment to learn and play in. Last year over 150 children participated in our summer and spring play activities which included:

  • joining local libraries;
  • playing in Lambeth parks and outdoor play spots;
  • learning about growing vegetables; bugs, worms, & butterflies at Streatham Community Gardens;
  • attending a special screening organised by Streatham Free Film Festival;
  • flying kites at Streatham Common Kite Day;
  • enjoying creative play days in the borough and at the seaside; and
  • putting on arts performances at The Hornimann Museum.

Unfortunately, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, we have been unable to offer a schedule of learn and play activities for spring and summer 2020.

The Centre

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Founded in 2002, we are an independent grassroots charity aiming to provide a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for refugee and asylum seeker individuals and families in our Lambeth community.

We provide holistic services for asylum seeker and refugee families. 

Children from asylum-seeking and refugee families experience disadvantage, poverty and exclusion. Many live in overcrowded and poor standards of temporary accommodation. 

We have built on almost 20 years’ experience in the community and having established trust in reaching a marginalised and hidden group of vulnerable children, delivered our services to meet the needs of those most severely affected by social exclusion, poverty and poor health to alleviate play deprivation, and build confidence and a beautiful community.

Working in partnership with a wide range of voluntary, community and statutory groups, we provide specialised support, information and advice, as well as a wide range of health and wellbeing services to our friends in the local community, which includes our homework club project.

Our response to COVID-19

We are proud to announce that we have been able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with gusto and positivity.

We have adapted to the pandemic and continued to work with our partner organisations to ensure that our users can access our holistic services and deliver them from a safe distance.

We are supporting more vulnerable members of the community and families experiencing exceptional poverty than ever before. 

Facing the pandemic head-on, we have:

  • successfully co-ordinated and assisted with community and local authority efforts via Norwood and Brixton Foodbank and Lambeth’s COVID 19 response initiatives to ensure that our members have access to food; 
  • continued to provide health and community advice delivered by our dedicated team of staff and partnering organisations; and
  • been involved in the collecting and rolling out of technology to keep our users connected.

How you can help

At the beginning of this year, we wanted to up the game and prepare an even fuller year-long programme of activities so our children are better able to take advantage of educational, community and play opportunities. Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic and the need to social distance for the protection of our users, volunteers and staff, the play opportunities we would usually be afforded over the spring and summer months are no longer viable.

But we will not hold back our efforts to alleviate play deprivation, especially at a time when children need it most.

We are asking our supporters to help us raise funds so that we may be able to provide toys and games to children and family members of the Centre. 

*No Recourse to Public Funds - A majority of our families are subject to the government’s No Recourse to Public Funds condition, a condition imposed on some migrants due to their immigration status limiting their access mainstream benefits such as Universal Credit and Housing Benefit.

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