Havering residents are urged to get behind this year’s Recorder Christmas appeal and help make this winter a little easier for those in need.

The Recorder has nominated Hope4Havering as the local charity that will benefit from this year’s Access Self Storage Romford Christmas Charity Appeal.

In the past six years, Access Self Storage has collected nearly 3,000 gifts for charities from generous people and businesses across the UK and distributed them during the festive season.

Recorder chief reporter Ralph Blackburn heralded Hope4Havering as “a fantastic local charity” who had been working tirelessly for several years to help the borough’s homeless.

He said: “We all know that Christmas and the colder months can be a time of struggle for rough sleepers and Hope4Havering are a worthy charity to support this year.”

Hope4Havering is a collective of churches, businesses and individuals that have united in an attempt to combat localised homelessness.

Kim Merry, who runs the charity, said: “We’re thrilled that the Romford Recorder has nominated us to receive the gifts donated to year’s Access Self Storage Romford Christmas gift collection.

“Homelessness is increasing, we are getting three or four phone calls a day from desperate people asking for help.

“We have such a hard working team, running night shelters and helping people with no place to call home a safe place to sleep or rent. All too often, our shelters are full, especially over the winter.

“We are asking for the people of Romford to help us by donating new socks and pants, new personal hygiene items and packets or cans of non-perishable foods and dropping them off at Access Romford on Southend Arterial Road any time from now until the end of December, you will help our team to help these people who need us more than ever over Christmas.”

Moiz Syed, manager of Access Romford, added: “We’re starting early enough this year to hopefully make a real difference for Hope4Havering so please pop in any time and drop off a donation, we will store it safely and give everything to Hope4Havering before Christmas Eve.”

Access Self Storage Romford is located at 12 Southend Arterial Road. For more information call 0808 274 8794.