Online auction raises more than £4,000 for Brent charities

The Love Local auction was set-up by community volunteers last month and backed by 70 Queens Park and Kensal Rise area businesses, and supported by the Brent & Kilburn Times.

Giles Deards with Den Bake Shop owner Maxine Monu (Image: Giles Deards)

Auction organiser Giles Deards, of community network kensalqueenspark.com, said: “Covid has been unsettling for everyone but it is potentially disastrous for charities and the vulnerable people they support.

"The auction was a way of shining a light onto their vital work and making people aware of the acute funding crises charities are facing, largely because of the cancellation of so many traditional fundraising activities."

Salina Campbell (L) of Joli with Moushumi Sharmacharja (Image: Giles Deards)

Benefiting from the auction were food charities Granville Community Kitchen of Carlton Vale, Laurence’s Larder of Brondesbury and Willesden's Mutual Aid Foodbank.

Queens Park-based refugee charity Salusbury World, Brondesbury’s teenage mental health charity the Brent Centre for Young People and Kensal Green’s Elders Voice, which supports older people, also benefitted.

Anna Southwood and Ostino Emedo of Elders Voice with their Love Local donated prize (Image: Giles Deards)

A further £250 was raised through the auction to support Gift Your Neighbour, a food initiative serving 70 households in several wards with fruit and vegetables every week.

Rudy Siano, of Cuore Italian Deli, recipient of a “Pride of Brent” award, said: “A strong community is one where neighbours look out for one another.

"Cuore helps local groups with food and we were also delighted to support the auction with our selection of hampers”.

Salina Campbell, of Kensal Green’s Joli, added: “We wanted to be part of this auction to help raise awareness of our local charities.

"These are difficult times for everyone and especially the vulnerable people they support."

Ashley Thilthorpe, general manager of Cable Co, which donated a month of barista coffees, said: “We are delighted to support local initiatives that bring people together and help great causes."

Andy Norman with Nisrine Nehme who won a month's supply of coffee (Image: Giles Deards)

Leslie Barham of Granville Community Kitchen said “It’s fantastic to see so many businesses, charities and community-minded individuals and groups come together like this for the auction and for our food collections.

"We have a major challenge on our hands to feed hundreds of people every week and we can't do this without this type of fantastic support from across our community”.

Giles said: "It’s never been more important to #shoplocal and we were delighted that the Brent & Kilburn Times was such a strong partner for the auction.

"This was our third annual auction and we will come back even bigger next year, with the goal to connect and help more people.

"We would love to hear from anyone that would like to be involved in this or other fundraising projects."

The business which donated prizes were Arabella’s House, Bags Of Love, Beancat & Co, Bel & Nev, Bom Asian Kitchen, Bread Ahead, Brooks Butchers, Cable Co, Contrado, Crumbzillas, Cuore Italian Deli, Den Bake Shop, Freya Lines, Gails Bakery, Good Space, Gym Locomotive, Halal Fresh, Hana Sushi, Heirlooms & Wooden Spoons, The Hearth, House of Hayley, Jess Rose Photography, Joli, Josephine Zentner, Just Barking, The Kensal Store, Kilburn Arms, Lily King, London Bookman, Mariangela Personal Training, The Maqam, Milk Beach, Millar Peters Education, Mindful Kids London, MMQ Piano, Moberly Sports Centre, Moncada Brewery, Monica Maja Richardson Art, Nooki Design, NXTPhase Fitness, Queens Park Books, The Royal Oak, Sanzio Restaurant, Sarah Reflexology, Sharmine Chowdhury-Tse Organic, Slimmy Choos, Sparkle O’Hara Boutique, Sol Airzcorbe Photography, Julia Straker Hair, Sybil Roskill Osteopathy, Swimming Nature, thedesignsmith.co.uk, Tabitha Robertson Aromatheraphy, Which Way is Up Art, Who Am I?, Wildcard, William IV, Wolfpack and 1990GlutenFree.