News

The Universal Credit Scandal

Some of the worst off people have been hit the hardest by the new Universal Credit which is slowly replacing six different welfare benefits including Jobseekers Allowance and Tax Credits. 

There have been huge delays with some people waiting as long as three months before they get their first payment. This has an awful impact for people waiting for their benefits, building up rent arrears, debts and relying entirely on food banks and handouts from elsewhere. 

If this wasn’t a big enough scandal, the Universal Credit helpline where claimants are told to call to chase up late or lost payments charges callers 55p per minute on mobile phones. If you have to wait between six weeks and three months to get any money howe do you top up the credit on your phone? how can you chase up your lost or delayed benefit claim? 

Those of us who have had to call such numbers to sort out benefits and pensions know only too well just how long such calls can take. The worst off among us in our community are kept waiting for weeks for their benefits, they are forced to run up rent arrears and other debts while waiting, have to rely on food banks, and with the onset of winter will be living in very cold homes because they can’t afford to put the heating on. Sign the petition to scrap universal benefits: https://you.38degrees./org.uk/petitions/abolish-universal-credit 

Good news for residents as cladding removal gets started

Work has started to remove the unsafe cladding on Hatfield Close and Gerrard House in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. 
I feel a lot safer now I know the cladding is coming off. It’s been up for 17 years and we thought it was OK but Lewisham Homes was on the ball straight away after what happened at Grenfell. they have kept residents in the loop and let us know everything they are doubt to make sure we are safe” said Val Jarman, vice-chair of the Hatfield Tenant and Residents Association.
Lewisham Homes will offer financial assistance to residents to cover increased energy bills as a result of the cladding being removed.  

Foodcycle for Families

FoodCycle is a great initiative run by volunteers using surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Instead of wasting food it is cooked in delicious and nutritious recipes for families to share in a great communal setting. Eating together as a group, sharing and talking is a lovely thing to do. you and your family are very welcome to join us on Wednesdays from 4.30pm-6.00pm at All Saints Church, Blenheim Grive (just off Rye Lane), SE15 4QS. 
For more information on food cycle or to sign up as a volunteer, visit www.foodcycle.org.uk

Sew you need to get out more

A weekly sewing class for anyone who needs to get out more and mix with people while doing something creative. These classes focus on patchwork, appliqué, embroidery, bag making, cushions, bedspreads, among other gorgeous items. 

Mondays: 9.30am-11.30am and 1.30pm-3.30pm. 

The classes are free of charge and we supply the fabrics, resources and tools for most projects. 

We’re Talking a Load of Muck!

Please give us a fiver so we can buy a big bucket of muck!
We need 15 tonnes of muck and compost to renew the soil in the gorgeous Besson Street Community Garden. Manure and compost will make our soil nutritious and luscious for the amazing plants and trees we grow. Our garden is full of trees from all around the world and reflects the gorgeous diverse community we live in. 
None of us can live without trees yet many of us take them for granted. Yet without trees and plants we would have no oxygen. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen to help us breath. 
The purest air in New Cross!
In a recent scientific survey of pollution in the local area, Besson Street Community Garden came out top for pure air. This is no accident – having all of these wonderful trees and plants in the garden helps to clean the air of its pollutants. 
Besson Street Community Garden is just that, a garden for the community which is maintained by local community volunteers. All of the activities we offer are for the local community. 
A fiver will buy a good size bucket of good organic manure, a tenner will buy a large bag full and fifteen quid will buy us a barrowload. If you can make a small contribution to replenishing the soil, we can help make our trees the best they can be. 

Please contribute towards our appeal on: https://localgiving.org/appeal/talkingmuck/.
For information, please call Jill on 0207 639 7605. 

Friends of Eckington Gardens

Arguably one of the greatest Victorian inventions, the public park is always well worth preserving and developing. Eckington Gardens, one of our local parks, far from Victorian, was established in 1981 and has friends and fans on a mission to make it a great place for local people to enjoy. If you’d like to find out more, please email: contatc@eckingtongardens.org or visit the website: http:/eckingtongardens.org/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofeckingtongardens
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendsofeckingtongardens/

Worried about Diabetes or Pre-diabetes? Join the Walk!

We walk for one hour on a Tuesday afternoon at 2.15pm, starting from Besson Street Community Garden with the challenging but not unpleasant include of Waller Road. We do a couple of laps around the top park and go down through the bottom park back to Besson Street for around 3.15pm. We are lucky to have the support of a local dietician who walks with us most weeks and freely gives advice, information and support.

Please join us. To find out more please call Jill on 0207 639 7605 or email: Jill.mountford@nxgtrust.org.uk. 

Computer Skills Training

Free high quality IT skills training to Lewisham borough residents. If you would like to learn any of the following, please get in touch and register your interest: 

  • Computer for Beginners
  • Using the internet and email
  • Microsoft word, Excel and Powerpoint
  • Online shopping and banking
  • Using social media
  • Staying safe online
    Contact Liam for more details: Liam@nxgtrust.org.uk or tel: 07458994705. 

Funded by the Big Lottery

Employment workshops

Writing your CV workshop. 10 November 9.30am-12.00 noon. 
– Sorting through job vacancies and identifying the key skills and qualities needed to do the job.
– Understanding the importance of how CVs are structured and the importance of their contents in the context of the job that is being applied for. 
– Drafting CVs

Preparing for interviews workshop. 17 November 9.30am-12.00 noon. 
– understanding the purposes of a recruitment interview for both an employer and employee perspective. 
– identify how to promote yourself effectively in the interview situation and practicing these skills. 

Completing application forms and job search workshop. Friday 24 November 9.30am-12.00 noon. 
– completing different types of application forms
– the supporting statement
– tips on how and where to search for work. 

Contact Elisha on 07532 787466 (please leave a message if there is no answer as Elisha only works part time hours) or email Elisha.mcqueen@nxgtrust.org.uk

Funded by the Big Lottery .

Friends of Eckington Gardens

If you live near Eckington Gardens, and want to see this green space properly maintained and well used by the local community, you might be interested in joining the new ‘Friends of Eckington Gardens’ group.  More information is available via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofeckingtongardens/

You can also contact them via their email address: contact@eckingtongardens.org, 
Website or Instagram

Computer Skills Training

New Cross Gate Trust now offers free high-quality IT Skills Training to Lewisham and Southwark borough residents. If you would like to learn any of the following, please get in touch and register your interest:

– Computers for Beginners
– Using the Internet and Email
– Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint
– Online shopping and banking
– Using Social Media
– Staying Safe online and Keeping your Children Safe Online

And more… 
Contact Liam for more details: email Liam@nxgtrust.org.uk or tel: 07458 994 705.
This service is funded by the Big Lottery.