Back in the days before the pandemic, the Old Cottage Coffee Shop in Charlton Park used to invite older people around on Christmas Day for a festive meal. Then Covid struck, and they had to switch to deliveries.
This year, the Christmas meal is back. But with a month to go, café bosses Mimi and Michael need your help.
– Firstly, do you know any older people that would appreciate a meal and some company on Christmas Day? If so, drop Mimi a note via m.speak9[at]icloud.com. There’s no charge for the meal.
– Secondly, can you help donate gifts to hand out to their guests, such as toiletries or things to help them keep warm? Or can you make a cash donation towards the project? Email m.speak9[at]icloud.com if you can help.
– Finally, Mimi and Michael are thinking of keeping the deliveries going as well. If you’d like to help out on Christmas morning, then drop them a line.
Need to know more? Drop in at the café between 9am and 4pm Wednesdays to Mondays – they’ll be delighted to hear from you.
You can also pick up some Christmas cards in the Old Cottage Coffee Shop
Last year, during what was a bleak Christmas when most of us were obeying the pandemic restrictions, the good people at the Old Cottage Coffee Shop in Charlton Park delivered cards, gifts and Christmas meals to older people on 25 December. Some 120 local people helped out by chipping in with cards, gifts and donations.
They’re doing it again this year. Can you help the cafe’s Mimi and Michael by donating gifts and writing cards? If you can, drop in at the cafe (open Wed-Sun, 9am-4pm) or drop them a message on Twitter (@oldcoffeeshop).
The cafe was unable to open for Christmas, but scores of people helped anyway
More than 120 customers of the Old Cottage Coffee Shop in Charlton Park rallied round to help 24 elderly people have a happy Christmas, writing cards and helping to deliver food.
The cafe usually invites older people round for Christmas dinner – but with that not possible this year, it asked customers – including readers of The Charlton Champion – to help with donations of gifts, food and money, and to help drive the parcels to the recipients’ homes.
Thank you very much for your huge support and help this challenging this Christmas. The community spirit was unbelievable. Donation was £1619.50 we still can donate to the Greenwich and Bexlay hospice. You helped many people. Thank you very very much 🙇🏻 pic.twitter.com/RG1vnl2mdQ
As well as the gifts and food, 280 cards were written, and a total of £1,619 was raised – meaning £1,031 can be given to the Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice.
Help came from as far away as St Thomas a Becket primary school in Abbey Wood, whose pupils sent cards, while the Co-op in Charlton Village, Tesco in Woolwich and Hachi Sushi Grill, also in Woolwich, helped out too.
Can you help the Old Cottage Coffee Shop this Christmas?
The Old Cottage Coffee Shop in Charlton Park is one of the area’s local gems. Earlier this year, its owners Michael and Mimi were delivering food to the vulnerable during the spring lockdown. And every Christmas Day, it has hosted festive dinners for the elderly.
Things are different this year – so they are making 24 boxes to deliver to older people on Christmas Day. And Michael and Mimi are asking for your help.
Can you write a Christmas card for each person? Michael and Mimi will send you a name and you can write a personal message.
Can you donate presents and snacks for nine men and 15 women?
Can you help deliver on Christmas Day between 11am and noon?
…or could you donate cash to help the project?
If you can help, drop in at the cafe (open Wed-Sun, 9am-4pm), text 07737 922 792 or email m.speak9[at]icloud.co.uk.
The Old Cottage Cafe in Charlton Park has been delivering food to people stuck at home since the crisis began
The owner of a Charlton cafe offering free lunches to the vulnerable says he is giving back to the community following an outpouring of support after a break-in last year.
As the coronavirus outbreak turns the lives of vulnerable residents upside down, Michael Lauricourt, along with his wife Mimi and an employee from the Old Cottage Cafe in Charlton Park have been cooking and delivering free lunches to local people.
Elderly and isolated households in Charlton, Woolwich and Blackheath are being treated to hot meals courtesy of the cafe.
Michael, who has run the cafe since it was opened in 2012, said: “We have always been part of the community – the community was behind us when we were broken into. When this all started the thought about how we could best help the community.
“Councillor John Fahy gave me a few names of people who couldn’t get out and about and we gave them free lunch, at first it was out of our own pocket. Since then, somebody else gave me a donation to help the work I’m doing. I’m keeping that ‘somebody’ private – but I’m very privileged to be able to do this to help the elderly.”
While he is helping the effort against the virus, Michael is mourning the death of his own father, George, who passed away on 22 March, aged 94, of circumstances not related to coronavirus.
Michael recently delivered food and tea to staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich
But Michael insists he and his wife wouldn’t be able to sit still if they had to sit at home, with their cafe closed due to government restrictions.
He said: “It has been overwhelming actually. It does feel good to give something back to the community – it’s very rewarding. When I see the people, I can see that they are so in need. Their mobility is not good. They are struggling – one person’s wife has dementia and he struggles to walk around.
“I’m sort of putting myself at risk – but I feel like I need to be out in the community and helping. In the cafe we are used to working seven days a week – if we are at home we’ll be wondering what we can do. We need to be out and about.”
At the moment a dozen households are being given free lunches – but there is scope to help more in the coming weeks.
Michael added: “We would like to stretch it out – but we can’t go too big you know. It’s only two people delivering at the moment, one is a worker, Erica, who volunteered. We need to keep it manageable. It’s only me and my wife and Erica, it’s only three of us.
“But we will look at helping more, if more people do need support. We can think about going down that road.”
On top of delivering the lunches three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Fridays) Michael and the team are going shopping for the vulnerable for their necessities and giving them vital human contact.
He said: “When we see these people we can see they are in need. Their mobility isn’t good and they are isolated. They need to have some human contact.”
The Old Cottage Cafe has also, as of this week, began donating tea, coffee and cake to NHS workers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Woolwich Common. Workers were given banana cake and bread pudding along with two urns of coffee and tea.
The future remains uncertain for many small businesses – including the Old Cottage Cafe – but for the time being helping the community is the priority.
Michael said: “We don’t know how long this is going to go on for. We may have to ask for donations later down the line to keep going and delivering the food but at the moment we are managing. It’s very uncertain. I’m quite concerned about the future – we have been closed down. At first we were doing just takeaway but then we were told to shut the shop down.
“The council aren’t too sure themselves about what is going on with the rent – everyone’s situation is different. In the meantime we’ll just plod on as we are. If anyone else is needs help we can consider if we can do it – we need to be out and about.”
The Old Cottage Cafe can be reached on Twitter at @oldcoffeeshop.
TOM BULL is a freelance journalist and former BBC local democracy reporter. We have commissioned him to write about how communities and businesses are reacting to the coronavirus emergency in SE London – something we can only do because of the generosity of people who fund The Charlton Champion and its sister site 853, or bought our postcards. Thank you to all who have helped.
The skate park opened in October 2017 – but has no lighting (photo: Neil Clasper)
Greenwich Council says it doesn’t have the money to install floodlights at the skate park in Charlton Park, after 344 people signed a petition calling on the authority to light up the facility.
However, the response to the petition says the council “has no funding for the costs of installing the lighting”.
Instead, the council has suggested that the Friends of Charlton Park seek external funding for the floodlighting. “It was agreed in principle subject to public consultation, planning consent and that planning and installation costs being secured by the Friends Group that floodlights for the skate park and outdoor gym could be installed,” a report to be presented to next Wednesday’s full council meeting says.
“However, it was recognised that this could take a couple of years to achieve due to uncertainty regarding funding being secured.”
The Friends of Charlton Park has also been asked to monitor usage of the skate park and outdoor gym to demonstrate how busy they are.
Security in the park has also become a bigger issue after the break-in at the Old Cottage Cafe last month.
Greenwich Council is currently sitting on hundreds of thousands of pounds from developers of schemes nearby which could fund improved lighting. Figures released this month show that the construction of Primark and other stores on Bugsbys Way, for example, means £125,000 is available for public safety projects, with £41,752 for public realm projects (“30 Bugsbys Way” in this document.) Meanwhile, £53,000 is available for public safety projects following the construction of the new housing at the end of Fairthorn Road (“40 Victoria Way”) – a figure agreed seven years ago. (Those figures will be discussed at a cabinet meeting this evening.)
The petition response will be discussed at the full council meeting on Wednesday 27 February. If you wish to ask a question about it, or any other matter in the borough, email committees[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk by noon today (Wednesday 20th).
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