If you think you might be eligible, we'd be happy to give you a tour of our almshouses and share what it's like to live here.
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One of our residents, Siobhan, has been volunteering to support her community for more than 15 years.
Volunteers are at the heart of our community, sharing their time and skills to support others and, in turn, gaining new experiences, new friendships and contentment. Around 966,000 people volunteer in London each year. Those aged between 65 and 74 are the most likely to volunteer. Once people have retired from paid work, they often find that they want to continue contributing to their community and now have more time to do so.
One such volunteer is almshouse resident Siobhan, who has been supporting the Chelsea & Kensington branch of the Royal British Legion for 10 years. She finds it immensely rewarding: “Volunteering is a way of giving something back and helping others. It gives one a good feeling.”
For several years, Siobhan took on much of the responsibility for organising the branch’s Poppy Appeal, including managing volunteers and ordering stock, as well as selling poppies herself. She shares, “It ended up taking up a full four months each year. At our busiest times, I’d sometimes leave my home at 8.30am and not get back until 7pm.”
This year, Siobhan has reduced her workload considerably, but she’s still been helping out by packing and selling poppies.
The Poppy Appeal raises around £45-£55 million every year, which the Royal British Legion uses to support thousands of members of the armed forces, including with:
None of this would be possible without an army of volunteers across the UK, many of whom have retired from paid work. As well as raising money, Royal British Legion volunteers help to raise awareness. Siobhan shares, “People will stop by the stand and ask questions. They’re often surprised that the Poppy Appeal isn’t just about the World Wars; it’s about supporting all veterans.”
Siobhan wholeheartedly recommends that people consider volunteering. Prior to the Royal British Legion, she supported Crisis at Christmas for five years and found it a “magical, rewarding and gratifying” thing to do. In fact, Siobhan has already found her next voluntary role – supporting patients and staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. She’ll be greeting visitors, running errands and delivering medicine to wards.
Siobhan isn’t the only person at Hammersmith United Charities who enjoys volunteering. Several of our other residents and staff members volunteer regularly or on an ad-hoc basis. Siobhan even persuaded Scheme Manager Chris and Gardener Victoria (V) to sell poppies when she was short of volunteers!
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion is always keen to hear from people who would like to volunteer. There are a number of ways to support veterans through the charity, from selling poppies and sorting stock to helping in the office. To find out more, email ChelseaKensington.Chairman@rbl.community
Other ways to volunteer
Hammersmith & Fulham offers hundreds of ways to volunteer for your community. As Victoria Hill, Chief Executive & Clerk to the Trustees at Hammersmith United Charities, says, “Every single one of our grant-holders relies on volunteers in one way or another.”
You could read with children, serve clients at your local foodbank or help people to manage their finances. Whatever your interests, skills or availability, you’ll find volunteering opportunities by contacting local charities or visiting Simply Connect and Link Up London.
Creating a safe space for women affected by loneliness and isolation.
While caring for a loved one can be an extremely rewarding experience, it can also be an isolating one. Artist Mellezia channelled those feelings to create The RENA Initiative – a CIC offering free visual arts programmes that create opportunities for people to be connected, empowered and valued.
Mellezia explains, “RENA stands for Recognising, Empowering and Nurturing Artists. Rena is also my mother’s name. She taught me that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to and be whoever I wanted to be. I wanted to be able to share that experience of being nurtured and empowered with others.”
The RENA Initiative is currently delivering HeArty – a project co-designed with residents – where health and wellbeing practitioners come together with artists to share health education through fun and creative activities. Attendees are older women and women from global majority backgrounds ranging in age from 24 to 86. One participant shares, “There are very few spaces like this one in which, as women, we can be totally free to express ourselves and be at peace with one another. We share many things not only about art but also about our lives and that is very special.”
A key aim of The RENA Initiative is to help ease social isolation and loneliness. As one participant shares, “The project has done excellent work to educate me, improve my self-esteem, expose my hidden talent, keep me in touch with the community, gain new friendships and have a better quality of life.”
Mellezia mentors others to lead workshops, set up their own business and develop their project ideas. One mentee shares, “I feel Mellezia has a genuine interest in developing my know-how, best practices, care and attention for these workshops and events, which has boosted my confidence. Even if I were to hit a bump, there is always guidance and support.”
This year, as in previous years, October’s HeArty workshop was focused on Menopause Awareness Month. Mellezia explains, “Due to the way that women, especially Black women, have been treated by medical professionals in the past, there’s a resistance to asking for help. It’s really important for me to create safe spaces where the community feel empowered and able to advocate for themselves. This year, we partnered with health coach Lorraine Fontaine of TheWellHealthSpace.com to explore how to support brain health and emotional wellbeing through the stages of menopause. Artist Jenny Bardoville then led a session on neurographic art.”
We recently awarded The RENA Initiative a £7,684 grant to support its work. Mellezia says, “We could not afford to provide our services without the help of this grant.
“What I love about HUC is that they are embedded in the community. They invest in grassroots organisations and projects that are important to residents. HUC trust and empower us to deliver our services, and they are accessible if we need support.”
“The cost-of-living crisis is massively impacting our community,” Mellezia says. “We provide activities that are fun and free. As well as workshops, we go on monthly outings. This month, we’re going to London Zoo; we’ll have a guided tour of the zoological society library, explore the zoo, sketch some of the animals and enjoy a nice lunch. That is something that would otherwise be completely out of reach for many people.”
The women agree. As one says, “This project has given me the opportunity to visit places I thought was out of my reach. It has broadened my horizon.”
The RENA Initiative has turned into a true tribute to Mellezia’s mother and helped Mellezia to work through her grief at losing her mother, “It helps to keep me going, knowing that something beautiful has come out of such immense loss. It is thriving, it lives on and it’s helping others.”
The RENA Initiative’s HeArty workshops and outings both take place once a month on a Thursday. If you’d like to join, email info@therenainitiative.com or visit www.therenainitiative.com
Giving children the chance to enjoy nature.
Spending time in nature brings a wealth of benefits for children’s mental and physical heath. However, 34% of children in London don’t have a garden and 5% have no access to any outdoor space at all. Families on a low income are more than twice as likely to be deprived of outdoor space as those on a better income.
As Carlos Izsak, the new director of Urbanwise.London, says, “Our grandparents’ generation would explore miles from their home without supervision. Now, children go from their home to their car to school and then back again. They don’t get to explore the outdoors as much. They spend a lot more time on devices and they’ve lost touch with the local environment.”
Founded in 1983, Urbanwise.London gives children and adults the chance to reclaim the natural world. Carlos explains, “We work with young people and community groups to help them learn about the environment, history and geography, including how places have changed and will change.”
The educational charity is based in College Park and Old Oak – an area of high deprivation, where 38% of households have an annual income under £30,000. Over half of the homes are flats or maisonettes and many families can’t afford extra-curricular activities for their children. While the ward includes one of London’s largest public green spaces – Wormwood Scrubs – many residents don’t make full use of it.
We’ve supported Urbanwise.London with several grants over the years. Our latest grant is helping to fund:
All sessions are free for participants and will include hands-on experiences out on Wormwood Scrubs. Carlos shares, “The children might learn how to use simple tools, how to look after themselves outdoors and how to be more resilient if it’s cold or raining. There’s a lot of teamwork involved and our education officer, Lydia, runs creative, sustainable arts and crafts activities with the children, plus some forest school-inspired activities.
“We also explain that the Scrubs is a resource for them to use and tell them about activities that they can join. It’s not just about connecting with nature; it’s about connecting with the local area and its history.”
Urbanwise.London aims to close the opportunity gap by offering children from families on a very low income the chance to engage with nature in a way that their better off peers may take for granted. 93% of children who participate in an Urbanwise.London project report feeling happier and calmer after sessions. Teachers and community staff say that children’s behaviour and focus improves.
As one parent fed back, “My child came home excited and confident – he talks about nature in a way he never did before. This is the first time I have been able to keep him attending a club outside of school.”
Urbanwise.London also runs several other projects for people around Hammersmith, including:
One of our previous grants enabled Urbanwise.London to create a film for Black History Month. The film showcases historical figures who have made an impact on Hammersmith, from Mary Seacole to Ellen and William Craft.
To keep up to date with Urbanwise.London and find out when projects are open to new participants, sign up to the charity’s newsletter.
If you’d like to volunteer to help more children enjoy nature, the charity would love to hear from you. Email learn@urbanwise.london.
Join our team in Hammersmith.
Title: Administrative Officer
Salary: Up to £28,000 (Full Time Equivalent)
Reporting to: Chief Executive and Clerk to the Trustees
Based at: This is an onsite role based at Sycamore House and John Betts House, both in Hammersmith
Hours of work: 25 hours per week, 09.00 – 15.00, occasional extra hours to support meetings or events
Hammersmith United Charities is a community-focused charity with a rich history dating back to 1618. Rooted in the heart of Hammersmith, we support local people through three core areas:
Hammersmith United Charities is a small, fun, and hardworking team where everyone plays an important part in building a stronger community. This role would suit someone who is kind, organised and enjoys variety in their work. If you are looking for a friendly workplace where you can make a tangible difference every day, we would love to hear from you.
This role is at the heart of Hammersmith United Charities’ day-to-day operations. As Administrative Officer you will ensure the smooth running of our reception and office functions, providing a professional and welcoming first point of contact for residents, visitors, and partners.
You will support the Chief Executive and wider team with administration and projects, helping us to meet our regulatory requirements and deliver excellent services to our residents and the local community.
This job description sets out the main duties and responsibilities of the job at the time when it was drawn up. Such duties and responsibilities may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot in themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the job
This role is subject to a DBS check and social media checks may be made as part of the recruitment process.
We are looking for someone who will enjoy being at the heart of a small, friendly team and who takes pride in keeping things running smoothly.
Skills and qualities
Previous experience of
Qualifications
Please complete the application form (see opposite on desktop or below on mobile) and send to officeadmin@hamunitedcharities.com by mid-day on 27th October 2025. We expect first interviews to be carried out online on Wednesday 5th or Thursday 6th November with second interviews the week after.
If you would like an informal chat about the role or need any help or adjustment with the application process, please contact Victoria at officeadmin@hamunitedcharities.com
