Colleges launch campaign asking for presents for needy families this Christmas

A federation of colleges this week launches a campaign with the South London Press to ask residents to donate presents for families finding it hard this Christmas – of which there will be a growing number in this pandemic. This week, the campaign is launched – see the coming weeks for further updates.

Two colleges are jointly campaigning to make this difficult Christmas a little more special for the area’s less fortunate young people.

Wife and husband team Shireen and Graham Razey are both principals at college groups in South London and east Kent.

Their colleges, Christ The King Sixth Forms and EKC Group, work in areas with high levels of deprivation – and want to make a difference this Yuletide.

Students, staff, parents and the community are being asked to contribute to the colleges’ Christmas Gift Appeal.

They hope people will donate a small toy or Christmas present, or make a donation, to ensure that those in need still get to experience the joy of receiving
something special this Christmas.

Shireen, principal of Christ the King Sixth Forms, a group of Catholic Sixth Forms in South-east London, said: “Our students are keen to make a difference in the local communities where they live and work, many of which have been affected by the pandemic.

“Our sixth forms do a lot of work supporting charities, and we all wanted to make the festive period special for young people who have experienced such hardship this year.”

Both Christ the King Sixth Forms and EKC Group aim to get presents that they can distribute to a range of charities working with people in need ahead of Christmas to help make this year a magical one, in spite of the current challenges faced by everyone across the country.

Graham, chief executive at EKC Group, said: “We have a regular programme of youth-led social action within our family of six further education colleges and three business units.

“But this year the pandemic has meant that we’ve been unable to get out into the community and deliver the same amount of positive change we are normally able to.

“This year I wanted to ensure that we were doing something additional to benefit those who might otherwise not have a Christmas that was as special as it might be.”

If you would like to donate to the campaign, Christ the King Sixth Forms and EKC Group are asking you to drop presents at either CTK St Mary’s in Sidcup, CTK Emmanuel in Lewisham or CTK Aquinas in Brockley.

You can also donate money at the fundraising page here.

Pictured top: Krystal Campbell and Arek Mierzwinski