A group of school children from Plumcroft Primary School who helped create a powerful animated film based on their personal experiences of living in temporary accommodation, have been thanked with prizes and certificates at an event this week at Woolwich Town Hall.
The celebration comes five months after the council was ‘highly commended’ in the London Homelessness Awards for its groundbreaking partnership with local social enterprise Creating Ground CIC, to help improve the lives of families living in temporary accommodation.
Last July, the council successfully reduced the number of families in hotel or BnB temporary accommodation from a peak of 161 families in January 2024 to zero families by July 2025.
Cllr Pat Slattery, Cabinet Member for Housing Management, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness, said: “We know that temporary accommodation can be extremely challenging for children and families which is why we worked tirelessly to get those numbers right down. This animation is a stark and poignant reminder for us all to continue to put children’s needs at the centre of our work to tackle homelessness. I’d like to thank the children and Creating Ground for putting this animation together and giving us adults a real insight into how these experiences felt for them.”
The animation was conceived from a series of drama and storytelling workshops with the children last summer, led by dramatherapist Erene Kaptani, to explore what it felt like from a child’s perspective, to live in temporary accommodation. That project resulted in a six-minute-long animation called the Snow Inn Hotel which was animated by artist Lucie Vyhnálkova.
The main characters in the animation, which appear as a variety of animals including a polar bear, lion, snake and tigers, were voiced by the children, many of whom, have experienced homelessness. Some of those themes highlight how children can feel personally responsible for ‘losing their homes’ as well as the realities of their new circumstances - having to make new friends to play with, taking three buses to travel to school, eating takeaways every night and feeling very cold while living in draughty conditions.
Laura Marziale, Director, Creating Ground CIC, said: "The work of the children from Plumcroft Primary School has inspired change in temporary accommodation locally and nationally, and it was vital that they understood just how powerful and impactful their voices have been.
“Too often, children are overlooked in policy decisions, yet many carry burdens far beyond their years. This event was about recognising them as changemakers and reminding ourselves, as adults, to listen more closely, lead with empathy, and act with the responsibility they deserve".
Other speakers at the event included representatives from the University of Greenwich, Trust for London and Citizens UK – all of whom have been instrumental in supporting Creating Ground’s #NoticeUs campaign.
To watch the Snow Inn Hotel, visit www.theground.org.uk/animation