Hiya!

The weather has turned icy which makes the financial gap between Lambeth residents even sharper. A lot of the people reaching out for the LMA Solidarity Fund are having to choose between heating and eating. If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford your gas and electricity bills even without government support, it would be amazing if you would donate some of that money to the Fund – or, better still, sign up for a monthly donation! 

Solidarity Fund x2

This month the LMA Solidarity Fund is opening on Thursday 15 December at 4pm. So that the money can be shared as widely as possible, we’re still asking that only one person per household apply. And if you can apply for less than £50 that would also help the money reach a lot further.

The form usually closes within a few minutes – that’s how quickly the fund gets used up – which is not a good system for disabled people. We’re trying to figure out how to make the form more user-friendly, but every time we think of a new approach, it raises a different problem. If you have ideas for how we can share the Solidarity Fund more equitably, please get in touch! 

Good news: there’s another group based in Lambeth called Be Intentional who also have a support fund where you can request a £50 grant. Like us, they keep the application process simple, and don’t make judgements about what you might need the money for.

Hot food 

Lambeth Larder have put together an amazing list of Festive Food Support. A lot of it is available all year, especially the pantries where you can get 20 portions of food for just £5, and the Be Enriched canteens serving hot meals. Please share this information wherever you can – you never know who might need it!

When people reach out by email we’re also sharing information about winter clothes swaps, organising for people to pass on electrical goods, applying for laptops and mobile phones from Community Tech Aid, and making sure people know about things like Waterhelp to lower their bills. If you have time to get involved in answering emails, or information you think LMA could be sharing, please get in touch! 

Community action

The LMA group always intend to do more in the community but 1. we’re a tiny group! which is why we keep asking you to join in! and 2. a lot of us are involved in other activism, from union campaigns and Lambeth Solidarity to Copwatch and Anti-Raids, which keeps us extra busy.

So it was amazing to get together in November and think about what we are doing and what else might be possible. We didn’t come up with a brilliant new way to share the Solidarity Fund, but people did suggest some other ideas, such as:

A group currently living in temporary accommodation without access to cooking facilities suggested setting up a community kitchen where people can batch-cook food for themselves, and supporting people to get microwaves for reheating the food in.

We still think food co-ops are a brilliant idea!

When the weather gets warmer, what about a street party?

Massive thanks to Advocacy Academy for lending us their space. We’ll definitely be organising more get-togethers in 2023 and hope to see you there.

Social media

We have a new Insta account! There’s not much on it yet – but there will be! (Especially if YOU get involved and post things!) 

That’s it for this month! Good luck in the cold everyone, with solidarity and warmest wishes

LMA xoxo