One month since we turned this trashed phone box into the world's first 24/7 community hub, the story so far

On 28 February 2022 as part of LGBT history month, We Care food bank and Kath's Place team launched the world's first 24/7 community hub in a former trashed phone box we bought for £1 under the rainbow bridge next to Deptford Station on Deptford High street in South East London, we could never have imaged the stories it could tell and the impact it delivers to so many people on so many levels so fast.

#UnderTheRainbow may be tiny but it packs a huge punch as you open its door full of positive messages such as " you look great today " it contains a book & DVD swap library, a free shelf for toiletries, another for food and drinks another for small items from toys, to plants and a hook for coats and another for bags, the floor has a kids toy box and book selection, whilst on the wall where once a phone lurked is a bright notice board listing everything from whom to contact when fleeing violence, how to get a free lawyer if your landlord is not doing your repairs to finding your local community choir as well as a link to the lewisham lottery that supports grassroots organizations such as We Care for just £1 but gives you the option to instantly donate to support We Care work whilst giving you a chance to win £25.000 , if you look more closely you see a radical history walk, as kids leave a colourful raccoon winks as you open and close the door , plus a guide of where to find a local loo and details on how and whom to call if you're in a crisis and just need a chat, so four weeks on how is it going?

#UnderTheRainbow had its first MP when Neale Hanvey visited followed by media news channels from ITV, Big Issue, Newsshopper, and TV crews from around the world, whilst many said it would not last long, every day local people passing add an item of fruit or a small toiletry or unwanted item from coffee maker to a hot water bottle or just to take selfies or tidy the space, it's loved, we sadly did lose the wall clock we glued to the inside & Mr. Fox that we glued to the roof and have replaced him after he went AWOL , we hope to a great home with a Mrs hamster now in charge of greet and welcome, the book swap library has seen the bookshelf change over almost weekly whilst the free coffee offered by Deptford Quirk and Deptford Gaff has been a real joy, instead of huge numbers claiming free cups of tea and coffee many have chosen to spend their hard-earned cash in these 2 coffee shops ( we have 16 in Deptford ) as a way of thanking them for supporting this community project each day we do less and the local wider community do more, the support groups listed have been crucial to so many , whilst one amazing story was a group of mums from the local school opposite helping 2 elderly homeless men who could not read go through all that is Under the Rainbow, as one mum said to us, " it was so special most of us had never spoken to a homeless person your phone box changed that" . Whilst as I write this had we had a delegation from another community group visiting us to see our work and as we arrived at Under The Rainbow we met a lovely woman who had traveled to Deptford specifically to visit this phonebox, new people coming into the area and spending in the local community whilst being inspired by our work. On Monday The Big Issue due to high levels of interest their story about this phone box generated are writing an update, it seems a humble phone box is winning hearts and minds everywhere

You can support We Care by donating We Care Cooperative Account Lewisham Sort Code 08-92-99 Account number 65659328 or PayPal raymondwoolford@aol.com