Carolyn Defrin, our Phd researcher, collaborated with Levitt Bernstein architects and artist Paul Burgess to create a film and architecture installation featuring Sycamore House and John Betts’ residents sharing memories of living in Hammersmith and their perspectives on housing. This project featured in the June 2017 London Festival of Architecture as part of the ‘Where do you think you are?’ […]
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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13 groups have been awarded grants totalling £107,500.
Thousands of people in Hammersmith rely on the voluntary sector. From toddler groups to emergency food parcels, the services offered across the borough change lives.
We’ve been supporting these grassroots causes for many years, by awarding Community Grants to groups that make a tangible impact, including those working to alleviate poverty, enrich children’s lives, and help some of the most vulnerable people in Hammersmith.
Our February grants round saw 13 groups awarded a total of £107,500. These include:
Bubble & Squeak takes nutritious, quality food that would otherwise be wasted, and gives it to people in Old Oak who are struggling to afford basic essentials. Recognising that working people can’t always access morning and afternoon sessions, the CIC is using its grant to open a food stall two evenings a week. Find out more about Bubble & Squeak.
1000 Black Boys’s grant will be spent on mentorships and activities to inspire and empower 300 Black boys, girls, young men and women. Read our case study on 1000 Black Boys.
Six Wendell Park pupils will benefit from specialist art therapy, helping them to work through trauma and other challenges. Their parents will also be supported to better understand and respond to their children’s emotional needs. Read about art therapy at Wendell Park Primary School.
The grant will pay for a trained therapist to support eight families at Old Oak Primary School. The families will come together once a week to take part in activities, share ideas and learn from one another.
Our funding is supporting the Kulan Foundation’s free homework clubs for 80 children and teenagers. It will also contribute to the cost of delivering parenting workshops and helping elderly residents. Most of the charity’s beneficiaries are from a refugee or migrant background. Read about the Kulan Foundation.
170 people who are living with dementia will be matched with volunteers, who will help them to stay safe and connected to their community and to access additional support where needed. Find out more about the Creighton Centre.
Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank supports thousands of people in crisis every year. The charity is using its grant to provide emergency food through its Shepherd’s Bush, Old Oak and White City centres. Read about the foodbank’s work.
300 people on a low income will be able to watch a play at the Lyric and 90 young people will be able to take part in a theatre programme, with the help of our funding.
BlindAid will use its grant to support 100 blind and partially sighted adults, including through home visits and regular phone calls.
Many of the children at Hammersmith Academy don’t have their own garden, so the one at their school is crucial for their wellbeing. The grant will help to cover the cost of a specialist gardener. Read about how the garden has inspired a new generation of nature lovers.
330 Year 6 pupils will take part in free public speaking workshops, so that they can feel more confident in communicating their ideas and start building skills they’ll use throughout their lives.
The grant will fund weekly art sessions at the Grove Neighbourhood Centre. Read about the impact that the art sessions have on people’s lives, including reducing loneliness and increasing creative expression.
We’re keen to hear from smaller, local organisations in our area of benefit, which have a strong connection to their community and a working knowledge of the local area. Your project can be one-off or ongoing. What interests us most is the difference you’ll make to the local people most in need.
Please complete our Eligibility Quiz before applying and then contact us at grants@hamunitedcharities.com to tell us about your project. We like to talk to applicants before you apply to get a better understanding of what you’re doing and answer any questions you may have.
Read more about how to apply
“I prefer the phrase ‘renaissance’ to ‘retirement’”
Ageism can be incredibly damaging. It limits older people through assumptions, not because of their actual ability. It affects how they’re treated in everyday interactions, education and the workplace, and it makes people feel devalued.
June 10th is Age Without Limits Day. The campaign by the Centre for Ageing Better aims to “create a society where everyone enjoys later life free from the impact of ageism.”
It’s a vision that’s very close to our hearts, as all our residents are over 60. Several of them are still in paid employment and many are still very active in the community in other ways, including through volunteering. As one of our residents, Siobhan, says, “Volunteering is a way of giving something back and helping others. It gives one a good feeling.”
Several of our team members are also over 60, including our Head of Grants and Community, Paul Robson, who joined us aged 65. He says, “I was working for Age UK, but I wanted to move to a smaller organisation with more of a local focus, where I could see the impact first hand.”
Changing jobs can be challenging at any age, but even more so when you’re approaching retirement. One in three people aged over 50 believes they’ve been turned down for a job because of their age, and the situation is likely to be even more difficult for those over 60.
As Carl Honoré wrote for Age Without Limits, “Older employees are routinely passed over for promotion, discarded first in hard times, denied training or given unfulfilling work.”
Paul says, “I did think, ‘They’re going to see from my CV how old I am, realise that I’m approaching state pension age and worry about how long I’m going to stay.’”
While ageism is a barrier at many organisations, we value experience. Paul has now been working at Hammersmith United Charities, part-time, for over three years. He’s considering stopping paid work next year when he turns 69. However, as he explains, “I prefer the phrase ‘renaissance’ to ‘retirement’. There’s this myth that as you get older, there’s an inevitable decline, and that when you stop paid work, it’s downhill, physically and mentally, from there. Losing the routine and structure of paid work does scare me a little, as does losing the sense of identity you get from paid work, but actually, this time can be really exciting.
“We all do a mixture of things throughout our lives – a bit of paid work, a bit of learning, a bit of caring for others, a bit of leisure time, maybe a bit of community work. How you balance that and use your time, effort, mental energy and physical energy, is in flux throughout your life; the size of each slice of the pie changes. There was a time when the caring slice of my pie was quite large, but now that’s smaller and I’ve slowly been reducing paid work while increasing my community work.”
Paul currently volunteers with Age UK Richmond and with Cocoon – a charity for young people leaving care. He wants to take up more volunteering opportunities once he’s finished paid work. Alongside volunteering, Paul is planning to make the most of his free time by staying physically and mentally active. Amongst other things, he wants to delve into philosophy and learn tai chi. As he says, “‘Lifelong learning’ might be a bit of a cliché, but it really is so important.”
One of Paul’s favourite pastimes is hiking in Scotland and the Lake District, particularly hill and mountain walking. “The Munros in Scotland are peaks above 3,000 feet. I’ve done around 68 of them. Some people try to climb all 282. A few years ago, a 79-year-old guy decided to do them all, and he did it in two years. I don’t think I’ll attempt that, but I do enjoy the experience of being outdoors and the physical and mental challenge of six-to-eight-hour walks, up three or four thousand feet, over 16 or so kilometres.
“I’m in a fairly privileged position in terms of health. I’ve invested in that by keeping active and through lifestyle changes, including drinking less and improving my diet.
“It’s all about investing in myself for the future.”
“You're making an impact”
Without volunteers on hand to fundraise, help with events and support service users, many charities would struggle to survive. However, volunteering doesn’t just benefit the community; it also brings with it a wealth of benefits for the volunteers themselves, from work experience and new skills, to new friendships.
While you can volunteer at any stage of your life, older people who are retired and don’t have to worry about childcare are often able to support in ways that others cannot.
One such volunteer is Lorraine, a resident at Sycamore House. Originally from Northern Ireland, Lorraine has lived in London for most of her adult life. When she retired from paid work, Lorraine started volunteering, first at Charing Cross Hospital and now for Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank at St Simon’s Church. We spoke to Lorraine about how volunteering has enriched her retirement.
I moved here in January 2022 and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I am secure here; you can take part in as much or as little as you wish, and it’s a community. Chris [our scheme manager at Sycamore House, pictured above] is just amazing, as are the rest of the staff. All my family are back home in Northern Ireland, so it’s good to have the support here as and when you need it.
I celebrated my birthday on Saturday night with a disco down in the communal lounge. It was a great night and I think I’m still getting over the effects!
I was a key worker for young adults with learning disabilities. I thought long and hard about retiring, but I knew I couldn’t keep that work up forever. I thought, “What am I going to replace this with? Because I can’t just sit in here and tug on my thumbs!” I saw an advert at the hospital and have been volunteering for over three years now.
I volunteer at St Simon’s on a Thursday. People come in with a voucher; we sit down with them and do a picking list. They get a bag of fresh food, vegetables and fruit. Some days it’s extremely busy. Other times you get a rush at the beginning and then it tapers off.
We have a hub as well where they can go and have a hot meal. They can also apply for a SIM card and we can send people to places where they can get clothes. Each week is completely different.
You get to know the clients who come in regularly, and they get to know you. If I meet them in the street, they’ll say hello. If you’re not there, then they’ll say, “Oh, we haven’t seen you for a week or two. Were you away? Are you okay?” It really shows that you’re making an impact on them and it makes you appreciate what you have yourself.
I’ve made such a good circle of friends. We go away together. We’ve been to Harrogate and York and are planning to go to the Isle of Wight for a long weekend. They have parties in their houses and we celebrate birthdays together.
Before I started volunteering, my circle of friends was small, and it’s like a pond that has just rippled out and out. When I was at my party last week and I looked around, I really was moved, because I thought, “These are all people who are here for you – your friends, genuine friends.” It’s just wonderful.
Do you want to make new friends, learn new skills and give back to your community? There are hundreds of volunteering opportunities available across Hammersmith. You could help with admin, fundraising, packing food boxes or supporting vulnerable adults or children. Most community organisations rely on volunteers, so just get in touch to offer your support, or search for opportunities at www.linkuplondon.org
Helping children and parents to dance their way to fitness
Dance and music bring people together. They boost our mental and physical wellbeing, and they’re a lot of fun, whether you’re a child or an adult.
However, if you’re struggling to afford basic essentials like rent and food, then paying to attend a class is almost impossible.
That’s where WiggleWaggle World comes in.
The CIC was started by Keisha Morgan for low-income families in Hammersmith. She explains, “I was on maternity leave with my second daughter. I was taking her to early years music sessions, which were £15 to £20 for just one class, and thought, ‘What if you don’t have money, but you still want to do quality musical activities with your children? Where do you go?’
“So, I started running music and movement classes in children’s centres, nurseries and then primary schools. WiggleWaggle grew from there.”
The classes are inclusive and help to support gross motor, language and emotional skills, particularly for under-5s. They’ve proven very popular with children, parents and teachers alike, so Keisha is now delivering several classes a week, along with children’s parties and family-friendly community events. She shares, “It just lit a fire in me. There’s a real need for this, for the community, and I just want to take it as far as I can. Life is challenging for a lot of people, so if I can just spread a bit of togetherness, connection, joy and happiness for people in the community that I grew up in, then I want to do that. We’re having a great time!”
While Keisha’s main focus to begin with was young children, she soon realised that there was also a need amongst their parents:
“A lot of the parents want to exercise, but they don’t have anyone to look after their children, or they can’t afford to do things for themselves. Financial hardship shouldn’t be a barrier to stop people from exercising.”
Keisha started running free Zumba classes at Old Oak Community Centre, with the help of the Old Oak Residents’ Association, who also secured funding from Hammersmith United Charities. Elaine Chumnery, a member of the former Residents’ Association, says, “We recognised health inequality and the importance of reducing isolation, bringing residents together and improving lives.” When that funding came to an end, Keisha applied to HUC for a grant for WiggleWaggle. We were able to provide £2,530, which meant the Zumba classes could continue.
In many cases, the classes are the only organised activity that the women can do on a regular basis. The benefits extend far beyond the health impacts alone. As one participant shares, “Not only has it built up my fitness and stamina it has also built up my body confidence. With the cost of living as high as it is, I can’t afford gym memberships so this free class which is for the local community is brilliant. There are extra bonuses aside from the fitness too: you get to meet new people, make new friends, talk to neighbours you had never spoken to before (even after 20 [years] living on the same street!), laugh and have fun.”
Keisha adds, “Women say to me, ‘If I didn’t have this class, I don’t know what I’d do. This is my mental health support.’ The feedback I’ve had has been a real outpouring of love.”
As well as the Zumba classes, Keisha used her grant to throw two community parties, one of which was a Christmas party with food, drink, entertainment and a visit from Father Christmas.
Keisha also has big ambitions for WiggleWaggle, including reaching more families in the borough. She’s already running a daytime class where women can bring their babies, and she plans to apply for more funding so that she can offer free childcare alongside the evening classes.
She adds, “I threw a party for the parents of WiggleWaggle children, which went down really well, because they never really have a night off. The opportunities are endless; we could have retreats; we could get a coach to the seaside and do WiggleWaggle on the beach…
“This is my community – I grew up here, I went to school here – so it’s really nice to connect with families and give something back.”
You can find out more about WiggleWaggle on Instagram @keishawigglewaggle
