Workers in the City of London have launched an appeal to raise a minimum of £200,000 from City based businesses and individuals to provide a summer activities programme to keep London’s poorest, most disadvantaged, neglected and abused children safe and fed during the school holidays, when they are at their most vulnerable.

The Kids Company has identified around 3,000 London based children who will have no access to meals or staff support once schools break up for the summer.

The appeal committee has worked with Kids Company to identify the most urgent need for funding and funds raised from this appeal will cover the following:

  • a meal for 2000 children every day in August at Kids Company centres
  • food, activities and transport, including day trips, to run a summer scheme for 3,000 under 15’s whose parental carers have mental health challenges or who are living in exceptional conditions of poverty
  • school uniforms and shoes for those children whose clothes will no longer fit by September and whose parents are unable to provide for them
  • the team of administrators to support the children, record any emerging concerns and child protection issues
  • bus passes so that the kids can access the Kids Company for meals and also make use of any free activities in museums and galleries

Kids Company is run by Camila Batmanghelidjh and currently supports approximately 17,000 children and young people in four centres and across forty schools in London. Many are exposed to exceptional levels of risk as a result of childhood trauma and neglect. Of those supported by the Kids Company, 87% struggle with emotional difficulties and mental health problems, 84% have experienced homelessness in the last twelve months, 83% experienced sustained, complex trauma during childhood, including abuse and 55% were taken into care as a child.

Richard Brindle, Lancashire Group CEO and a member of the Appeal Committee said “We and a number of other City organisations have been pleased to support Kids Company’s work for some time. After a difficult year for all of us in the financial sector it felt timely and appropriate for us to extend our support and show that we care about vulnerable people living in our local communities.”

Camila Batmanghelidjh, Founder and Director of Kids Company said: “During the summer, when schools are closed, thousands of vulnerable children are left without the protection of school staff, and without school lunches, which in many cases is the only main meal accessible to these children. Kids Company will be supporting some 3000 of these children by providing them with activities, food and clothing. Many of these children are living with worry for their parents' well-being, as the role of parent and child is often reversed due to the adults' mental health difficulties and extreme poverty issues.
“Kids Company will be helping children touch base with child-like joy and feel cherished. We need the help of our amazing supporters to achieve this.”

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For further information, please contact Haggie Financial on 020 7417 8989.

Kids Company can be visited at www.kidsco.org.uk