King's College London

For the fifth year in a row, King’s Sport & Wellness is proudly supporting Lewisham Donation Hub. From Monday 10 November until Wednesday 10 December we’ll be collecting donations to help those in need across South London.

We spoke to Jennifer Igbokwe, Health & Fitness manager at London Bridge Gym, about starting the project, what it takes to run it and why supporting students, staff, and the local community is at the heart of King’s Sport & Wellness.

Hi Jennifer, can you tell us about the Lewisham Donation Hub (LDH) and its Christmas drive?

Lewisham Donation Hub is a charity that started as a response to the difficult circumstances many families and individuals faced during and after the Covid pandemic.

The great thing about them is the extensive list of donations they accept and I encourage everyone to look at their website for more information. You might find that you have things in your home that you no longer have need of that would be greatly appreciated by them.

Lewisham hub aims to fulfil immediate needs and offer support to those facing hardship, from emergency food, to clothing, home essentials and electronics, as well as supplies for those facing homelessness like tents, rucksacks and sleeping bags etc.

The hub is made up of local volunteers doing vital work in difficult times. They collect and give out donations throughout the whole year so it’s a great idea when you are having a clear out to look at some of the things on the list and see if you can help.

They also accept monetary donations to purchase supplies, through Just Giving. 

At Christmas they also give out decorations and presents and collect winter supplies for the colder weather, so it is a super important time to support them in their work.

King’s Sport & Wellness (KS&W) has been supporting the Lewisham Donation Hub since 2020. How did this work begin?

I was feeling a little low; it had been a difficult time for a lot of us coming out of Covid, and I just wanted to do something meaningful to help people who were facing hardship. I did some research and wanted to work with a local charity.

Logistically, being local made it easier to transport the donations but there’s also something great about being able to see the impact in real time.

At Lewisham Hub the donations leave as fast as they come in, given to the community in need of it. I pitched the idea to my manager, and King’s Sport & Wellness has always been good at supporting staff members with projects they want to do that are designed to help the community. I set up tables, got posters and communications out with the help of Vanessa Edmonds, our Digital Engagement Coordinator, and every year since we do the same thing.

You’re taking donations at the Strand, Guy’s and Waterloo campuses. How do you handle the logistics and how many colleagues are involved?

There is a table set up at each site for a month, and we communicate through Kings portals as well as posters in the gyms and on campus. So that we can reach as many people as possible to let them know they can drop items off at any of the three gyms.

A few days before the donations are transported, we bring everything to one site. and make sure they are all categorised and sorted for transportation. Presents for the children are wrapped and labelled with a brief description of what they are and the age range they are for, so they can be distributed properly.

One of the things they mentioned last year was how great it was that we had some presents for older children. As they are often overlooked. My aim this year is to ensure more presents than last time for a wider age range of children. The idea that we could bring some joy to a child at Christmas is amazing.

I like to oversee it all as it’s my passion project, but other members of the team do everything from the comms to sorting the tables, transporting donations between sites and donating items themselves! There is always an enthusiastic team member ready to pitch in.

Alongside supporting charities like LDH, KS&W runs activity programmes alongside awareness dates like Disability Awareness Month. What drives this work and how integral is it to KS&W’s identity?

What drives the work? Enjoyment, passion, a desire to see people who often feel excluded from spaces or have been unable to participate get involved in activities and find enjoyment and community through or in the fitness and wellbeing space.

There are so many members of the KS&W team doing great work because it’s important to them! It is integral to our identity as King’s Sport & Wellness to do things that meet the needs of our students, staff and local community.

The great thing about working in the university sector is that the support and encouragement we get within the team as well as Estates & Facilities means everyone gets opportunities to pitch, run and promote events that they are passionate about. Be that Lewisham hub donation drive, resident wellbeing events, the Women’s only studio, Step Change, working with Proudly King’s, The King’s Sport EDI working group or events like Disability Awareness Month and Black History Month. It all makes our job more enjoyable and is an integral part of who we are.

Finally, what advice would you give to colleagues looking to get involved in volunteering?

Find something you’re interested in and is important to you and go for it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help as there are often others on hand that want to get involved in something too. We get three service days a year* which gives us a great opportunity to do something positive with them.

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*Service Time is pro-rated for part-time staff

What types donations are Lewisham Donation Hub in need of?

• Label-free jam jars, food bags, paper bags: for decanting food/oil/toiletries, – and for giving away loaves of bread etc.
• Carrier bags, bags for life, Ikea bags etc: for use at the hub to help our service users)
• Laptop chargers (including usb-c), usb wall plugs & lightning/usb-c cables
• Winter coats: Especially warm coats and Jumpers
• Boots and Shoes
• Sleeping Bags, Tents and other provisions for the homeless
• Rucksacks and Backpacks
• Smartphones and laptops *need to be wiped clean
• Sanitary products and toiletries (toothpaste, shower gel, soap…)
• Home essentials (Kitchen wear, bedding, toasters, microwaves, pots and pans…)
• Nonperishable foods and pet food
• Baby products (Nappies, wipes…)
• Christmas gifts for children including teenagers and decorations

A full extensive list can be found on their website as well details on how to donate funds.