Homeless thank caring Croydon (From Croydon Guardian)

Homeless thank caring Croydon

10:20am Thursday 19th December 2002 in News By Jo Parkes

A heartfelt "thank you" has gone out to generous Croydon residents for bringing some Christmas cheer to the borough's homeless.

Users of the borough's soup kitchen service provided by Croydon charity Nightwatch brought some extra comfort for the usual visitors to the Queen's Gardens this week thanks to donations including winter clothing.

Festively packaged hats, gloves and soap were among the basic necessities donated as gifts. Festive treats nearer to Christmas Day will also be Christmas cake and mince pies, and could include traditional turkey.

Every gift is courtesy of the borough's community groups and individual volunteers the goodwill of whom has allowed Nightwatch to fulfil a great need for the last 25 years.

Jad Adams, chairman of Nightwatch, organises a daily rota of 91 volunteers, who between them make up the food and packages from a church hall or from their homes.

Mr Adams said: "Some people buy things for us - clothes or whatever else we need. People who are old or more frail who don't want to come out with us will make sandwiches as their way of helping."

He added: "We get an awful lot of support from the churches and other faiths, and secular institutions like schools.

"We keep a steady presence and normally the public continues being generous, which we are very grateful for."

Around a third of the people who come to the Queen's Gardens each night live on the streets.

Others are in temporary accommodation, such as at the YMCA on Wellesley Court Road, or are former homeless who continue to come as a major point of social contact.

Mr Adams said: "Of course it's a very sad time for all people who don't have families and loving support, but in the homeless community each person is very supportive of the others.

"It's a tight-knit community and people do look out for each other they take great pride in keeping up their links with society.

"For example, they do send Christmas cards, and I have received a few.

He added: "They are trying to maintain at a very low level the sort of Christmas that most of us take for granted, and try very hard to keep up with the everyday things that other people find easy to do, like personal hygiene and knowing the football scores."

To help the borough's homeless, send cheques to Nightwatch, PO Box 9576, London, SE23 3ZH.