A nationally renowned church and music venue has launched a winter appeal to help people who face living on the streets get through the cold months.

The ‘Margins’ social enterprise project, run by Islington’s Union Chapel, serves hot meals for those in need as well as helping people back into work with training.

It also advocates for those in crisis, and has helped prevent evictionsm and won appeals over benefit refusal.

Demand for its services has doubled since the Covid crisis in 2020, with people turning up on the doorstep for help in the face of soaring food and energy prices and rent.

“We anticipate greatly-increased demand for our services,” organisers said in a statement to the Gazette. “The winter cold has truly arrived, adding increasing strain on vulnerable people.

“It is crucial that Union Chapel can meet these demands for those in need — but needs funds to do it.”

The impressive Victorian Gothic-style Grade I-listed church at the Highbury Corner end of Islington High Street offers training such as catering to help those in crisis to break cycles of unemployability.

The twice-weekly drop-in sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays is the first contact for the homeless and those in crisis, offering meals for up to 80 people, with access to showers, laundry, IT and even a library.

But it costs £7 to provide each meal at its drop-in sessions, while £35 would pay for five meals or £70 for 10. A day’s training in the employment programme costs organisers £50.

Legal help is given on housing and benefits issues as well as referrals to agencies on health, debt management, immigration and domestic violence.

The number of people dropping in has more than doubled in three years, with almost 400 being helped in 2023 alone.

The Margins Project has been running more than 30 years helping anyone feeling marginalised, in crisis or facing homelessness and is supported by Islington Council, the Cloudesley Trust in Holloway, Slaughter and May Trust in Finsbury, Henry Smith charity in Aldgate and the Oak Foundation in Holborn.

Its fundraising appeal is online at https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/23018#!/DonationDetails.