Lockdown has seen a number of local charities offering help to those who have suffered financially, but Newham Solidarity Fund has taken a different approach, based on the principle of mutual aid.

Forest Gate residents Rebecca Woo and Jack Walker, along with others, co-founded the Newham Solidarity Fund in October last year.

Woo, originally from Hong Kong and an advocacy and campaigns manager, explained the organisation’s aims: ‘The fund is based on the concept of mutual aid, that we all help one another in the community and what we have spare we give to the pot and what we need we take from the pot. It’s for all of us but we’re very aware that in Newham there are a lot of communities struggling with work and without recourse to public funds.’

She added: ‘We work with charities and organisations in Newham so they can make people aware of the fund.’

Jack, originally from Newham, works as a teacher. He said: ‘During the pandemic, local groups were popping up to help those self-isolating. It was the first time I’ve experienced this explosion of the idea of mutual aid. There will be a crunch where redundancies start and furlough will end, financial support without any strings attached might be the best way we can offer support to people.’

Woo has witnessed an increase in demand: ‘I’d say at the start on average we had about 20 applications a month but it has soared to over 60, unfortunately we’ve been receiving more applications than we have money to give out.’

A number of local businesses support the fund. Jack said: ‘TracksE7 in Forest Gate donate 10 per cent of all their coffee sales to us every month, and the Pretty Decent Beer Co have also helped us print leaflets and supported us in different ways. The vast majority of money is from local people. It’s neighbours helping neighbours.’

You can access funds through the website, where you will be asked to set up an account with basic details, proof of an address in Newham and bank account details. But Woo stressed: ‘There are ways we can support you should you be homeless and not able to provide an address.’

You can add to the fund through a one-off payment or set up a monthly payment. Jack added: ‘It’s more helpful if it’s monthly as it helps us plan our budget moving forward.’

If you’d like to find out more go to Newham Solidarity Fund’s website. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more information.

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