Oasis St Martin’s Village hosted a meal open to everyone in the local Tulse Hill community last Monday.
The pioneering south London community hub hosted one of several pilot meals happening across the nation this Christmas to build inclusion.
The meal brought together local people and charity partners as part of ‘We Are United’ — a movement launched to create community and address growing levels of social fragmentation, loneliness and division within the UK.
Ryan Lecky, Lead Facilitator at Spiral Skills, a charity partner of the Village and attendee of the meal, said: “The more united we are, the stronger voice we have as one.”
The Village event followed the first pilot meal at Oasis Hull earlier this month hosting 100 people.
Mr Lecky said these events have the potential to restore a model of neighbourhood that’s been lost in society and can help rebuild intergenerational community.
Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis, said: “Christmas can be joyful, but for many it can also be tough; lonely, stretched, or overwhelming. This wasn’t just a meal; it was an act of community. It was about saying: you matter, you belong, and no one here is left out.”
Oasis says We Are United is a growing movement of people choosing unity over fear and belonging over division to create safe, welcoming spaces where everyone can feel seen, valued and connected.
