News

On December 14, 2023, Gateway staff volunteers helped to prepare the Holmsdale Community Centre in Poplar for a special day, including decorating the community centre and sorting through 800kg of food.

We arranged fun activities for the children, stocked up on hot drinks and snacks, and filled goodie bags with joyous Christmas gifts. At the event, we welcomed 30 residents from the local community. Others had their surplus food delivered directly to their schemes. Children enjoyed face painting, glitter tattoos, and a lucky dip game where they could win a prize. Not only did people receive free food, but they also got the latest Gateway News magazine to stay connected with our community.

Michael Haile, Housing Operations Manager, said: “One of my favourite quotes is that of Halford Luccock, "No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” This quote was exemplified during the recent Winter Market event. Many teams within the organisation collaborated to make the event a success.

“Despite the complex preparations and behind-the-scenes work, nothing compared to seeing the surprise and joy on the faces of the residents who visited our community centre. We also received immensely proud feedback from our scheme coordinators, who shared with us the positive reactions from Enhance Housing Management residents who were happy to collect their fresh foods delivered to their schemes.

“With the evident success of this project, and with lessons learnt and improvements, I can see another greater success story for us in the next round.”

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to making this event a success. Your kindness has made a real difference.