Miquita Oliver has been on our screens for a long time - but did you know the amazing work that she does behind the cameras? Inspired by her own childhood, Miquita is a patron for West London Zone, which works with schools to give social, emotional and academic support to children who need it most.
As part of Big Give’s Christmas campaign, the Celebrity Gogglebox star spoke to HELLO! about the amazing charity, as well as how her family paid her an unforgettable act of kindness…
Speaking about the charity, Miquita explained: "I grew up in West London, which is one of the most unequal parts of the country, with some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK. One in five children there don’t have the support they need to thrive in life and are more likely to have poor mental health, reduced work prospects, encounter social isolation and face a higher likelihood of entering into criminal activity. Without the right support and access to opportunities, children in this community are at risk of exclusion from education and poor chances of finding employment."
She continued: "We recently were delighted to bring in Ropes, a project of mine to encourage skipping… This is part of a bigger picture where we work with schools across London, hosting assemblies and skipping classes to get kids moving and teach them the importance of sports for their physical, social, and mental health. And I’m so pleased that it has been well received."
The star’s interest in the charity comes from her personal circumstances, as she explained: "I grew up in a single-parent household, we didn’t have any money and it limited the things I could do in my life, I thought. Sports and exercise, particularly skipping, took me out of that space and made me believe I could do anything. That’s why the work we do with West London Zone is so important. I was one of those children."
Miquita also opened up about how her family helped through with personal struggles, citing it as an act of kindness that she’ll never forget. "Kindness is extremely important to me, it’s the basis of Ropes and everything we’re trying to do with it," she said. "It’s about taking the light and kindness that I have received in the last few years and giving it back to the world in any way I can. It’s the best way I know how to give all my kindness back to everyone.
"The greatest kindness I have ever received was probably when my family members were kind enough to tell me that my life was not in a good place, about five years ago, and that brutality was actually very kind and helped me change my life. And I’ll never forget it."
Miquita has also opened up about what amazing good she has seen the charity do, explaining: "I met a young boy, Jamal, who was incredibly shy at the beginning of the skipping workshop, and he was paired with a West London Zone link worker, Muna, who recognised the connection between academic performance and self-esteem.
"Through tailored support over the past year, in Maths and confidence-boosting activities, Jamal is blossoming academically and socially. By the end of the skipping workshop, he was confidently skipping and committed to increasing the number of consecutive jumps he could do - I hope takes this perseverance and uses it to continue excelling in his Maths too."
So what’s next for Miquita? 2024 is definitely a busy year, as she explained: "Things are going to be taken up a level with the kind of TV I will be doing. I’ll be doing much more producing and many other projects that I’m working hard on. I’ll be continuing to work every day to build Ropes into the business I know it can be.
"We’ll be launching our own products and merchandise, hosting more events and continuing to get the country skipping, whilst developing Ropes as a fitness and lifestyle brand. And on top of all that, I’ll keep trying to create some kind of balance, and continue to have a life outside of work!"