According to The Campaign to End Child Poverty report* released yesterday, Westminster features as Britain’s fifth highest local authority for child poverty.  In fact, despite the wealth and affluence that exists in central London, 2011 statistics evidence that in Northern parts of the City of Westminster 100% of children are living below the breadline.

Child Poverty costs the UK government around £25billion a year, and with child poverty figures predicted to rise* and government cuts hitting families hard, the work of local charity, Vital Regeneration, is more critical than ever.

Vital Regeneration is recognised as a valued local ‘anchor’ in Westminster, and with a 15-year track record of working with disadvantaged families, successfully delivering projects like Homelessness and Employment Project (HELP), which supports and advocates for homeless families, Westminster Works on Estates, countless after school programmes, community events, learning and enterprise projects, you can see why.

When asked about HELP, Daniel McCarthy, Head of Strategy, Housing Commissioning, Westminster City Council said “Vital Regeneration has proved itself to be an outstanding delivery partner, assisting some of the most vulnerable in our community to begin rebuilding their lives.  Even in a very challenging financial climate, Vital Regeneration has helped us to secure ongoing funding to continue this excellent work”.

The charity’s Chief Executive, Angela McConville, is quoted as saying “A bold vision such as ours, is not one that can be addressed through one, singular intervention alone; it requires an integrated, responsive approach that reflects the changing needs of the local community”

And looking ahead into 2012, it is evident that Vital Regeneration is committed to being bold and visionary.

 Angela McConville continues; “We already deliver a wide range of services to support local families, but we feel we could do even more.  We are setting ourselves a goal of supporting over 1,000 families in the coming years”

When asked how they intend to reach this goal she says “we are developing an exciting new family programme, where we will help people overcome issues around health, work, family, personal finance and generally support them to feel more at home in their community”.

* In the Child Poverty Report, children were classed as in poverty if their family’s income fell below 60 per cent of the median average income.  http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/files/childpovertymap2011.pdf

* The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that child poverty will rise by 400,000 children by 2015 unless the government takes a more progressive approach to tackling the deficit.

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Notes to Editors:

For press enquiries, images and interviews please contact: rash@vitalregen.org

About Vital Regeneration

Vital Regeneration is a registered charity working to transform London's most deprived neighborhoods.  They develop social, environmental and economic programmes, so that people and communities fulfill their potential through learning, employment and enterprise.  Their vision is for everyone to have equal expectations and opportunities in life and not to be seriously disadvantaged by where they live.

For more information about Vital Regeneration please visit: www.vitalregeneration.org