Testimonials
Holding Your Online Hands works with a variety of individuals in our local community and it’s our favourite part of the job.
Hear from the amazing people we support and work with, about how Helping Your Online Hands has helped them.
Bintu
Community member & VOLUNTEER
Bintu has been volunteering with us for the longest of anyone in our team, having first been introduced to us to help support with looking after her daughter, to now being a crucial part of our day-to-day volunteering team.
"They always make me feel like I'm not alone in this… I've seen a big change in my life which I'm so happy about."
John
Community member
John Nixon, our esteemed military veteran now in his 90s, became an ambassador for us after we began supporting him access the grants and subsidies he deserved for his utilities and other essential bills.
“They solved all my problems. I can't thank them enough for their service."
Jim
Community member (helped via Bridge Building services)
Jim came to us after years of struggling with the shift to online and phone-only services. Communication had become overwhelming. The systems meant to help him had instead left him more isolated and more alone. Through our weekly sessions, Tonia and Kiri became the consistent, patient presence he needed. They worked with him at his own pace — never rushing, never judging. Week by week, they helped him navigate the services he needed and stay connected to the world around him.
“Tonia and kiri have helped me remain connected in an online world that overwhelms me and excluded me from life. Having struggled with speaking over many years they have been the voice I needed to access services I need. Through patience and perseverance, they work with me at my own pace. They support me every week with anything I struggle with. I am proud to call them my friends.”
Karen & Prem
Volunteers (finance & fundraising)
Karen and Prem joined us as volunteers supporting finance and fundraising. From that vantage point, they witnessed something important: many of the people who come to us arrive having experienced neglect, bureaucracy, and the feeling that the system was simply not built for them.
“What are we in need of? People that we can trust, networks that work - we all need to put these things first in our communities. The vulnerable who visit Holding Your Online Hands leave surprised and reassured, having come across the terrain of double standards, of neglect, of bureaucracy which bypasses sincere concern. Here they navigate together with staff to receive practical resolve as aid. Holding Your Online Hands can be a template that all local authorities can learn from - real compassion in action.”
Sara
Community member (helped via Bridge Building services)
Sara arrived in Belsize Park in early 2025 — a new arrival from Iran, waiting for her five-year-old daughter to join her. She was struggling with food costs and energy bills and feeling deeply low. Through consistent, weekly one-to-one support from Tonia and Kiri, Sara found her footing — step by step, week by week. They helped her access food support. They sat with her through energy grant applications. They were there, reliably, every week.
“I came to Tonia & Kiri in early 2025 when I was very new to Belsize Park and my 5 year old daughter hadn’t arrived from Iran yet. I was in desperate need of help with my food and energy costs that weren’t possible to cope with. I was feeling very low in life. We spent many hours together and week-by-week, step-by-step, eventually I started to cope and see a way forward. Thanks to them, I am now in a happy place, and definitely recommend them to anyone who is in the same position as I once was.”
Ali
Founder of Carib Eats, Community Partner
Holding Your Online Hands recently partnered with Carib Eats to host drop-ins alongside their community lunches, forming a robust partnership offering multiple services and forms of support for north London communities.
“What feels especially important is how well Carib Eats and Holding Your Online Hands complement each other. People are coming through the doors for food, connection and community, then accessing practical support which helps resolve real issues in their lives. To see this level of trust, repeat attendance and measurable impact after only eight sessions shows how beneficial this partnership is. It also reinforces why bringing services directly into trusted community spaces works. I’m looking forward to seeing what we achieve together as the partnership grows.”
Patricia
Community member
Whilst we are still in the early stages of reaching and building trust with families as part of our partnership with Carib Eats. Patricia has been there from the start.
"They provide an amazing community lunch and attend to all of my admin and online needs and applications. They are patient, friendly, and provide such a great service. I encourage my friends and family to come along, and I really look forward to our Thursdays together — as one growing, extended family."
Theresa
Community member
Theresa had lived with mould and damp for two years, with no meaningful response from her housing association — in a home shared with her family of four.
"I was struggling with mould and damp issues for 2 years with no response from the housing association. Within 2 weeks of seeing HYOH, they have arranged help from Tenants Advice. A specialist surveyor has produced a detailed report after assessing the terrible living conditions in my home where I live. Now the problem is being dealt with and HYOH will support me until its conclusion."
AWARDS
SME AWARDS
The SME Awards is a national awards programme that celebrates the achievements of small and medium-sized companies, awarded purely on merit. Having been nominated by the SME Awards and assessed over many months, we achieved the following two awards in 2026:
Best Community Support Initiative 2026 — London
Social Impact and Digital Inclusion Excellence Award 2026
More details here.
If you’d like to speak to us about how we might be able to help you, please get in touch.