Why did you decide to apply for a flat here? I was living in an almshouse in Notting Hill, but they sold the building and we all had to move out. Their plan was to use the money to build a bigger almshouse to accommodate more people. In the meantime, they were going to house […]
Employers now have a duty to protect their workers against sexual harassment from managers, colleagues, customers, visitors and other people who they might come into contact with through their work. If one of your employees is sexually harassed, they may be entitled to compensation from your organisation. If the tribunal finds that you didn’t take […]
Cuts in public funding, coupled with falling donations and an increase in demand, has hit local charities hard. According to NCVO, 85% of charities believe that this winter will be as tough, or even tougher, than the last, and one in five believe they won’t be able to meet the increase in demand. HUC’s Flexible 3 […]
We're inviting older people on a low income who need an affordable home to tour our almshouses.
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Salary: £35 – £40k (pro rata) depending on experience and generous benefits package
Appointment Type: Permanent
Hours: 4 days per week/ 30 hrs per week
Location: Hammersmith
About us
Hammersmith United Charities was founded in 1618 and makes grants to community organisations helping local people address complex social issues such as poverty, inequality or mental ill health. We also have two almshouses in Hammersmith, for older members of our community. Over the years our gardens have been developed to ensure they are not only beautiful, but creative spaces where our residents can get involved if they choose or simply relax and enjoy. The gardens are based on organic principles. They include plants that attract butterflies, bees and birds, and plants that are stimulating in colour, aroma and texture. Residents can tend to their own hanging baskets, pots and allotments and get involved in various gardening projects and workshops that are run to help and support residents in engaging with the gardens. Our gardens have won many awards at the London Garden Society competition, which are judged according to Royal Horticultural Society guidelines.
About you
This is an exciting opportunity for a hardworking, professional gardener to continue the fantastic achievements of previous gardeners alongside our Assistant Community Gardener. We are looking for someone who has a wealth of demonstratable knowledge and experience, with the relevant horticultural qualifications to support this. Widespread experience and expertise in a range of gardening disciplines/techniques is essential as well as an open mind to continuous development and learning new skills.
The successful applicant must be self-motivated with the ability to manage and motivate to achieve the highest standards. You will demonstrate a track record of leadership in managing and/or developing similar environments. We are looking for someone with imagination and flair, an understanding of community organisations who has good communication skills, a caring disposition who is empathetic, with an unrelenting capacity to encourage and support our residents.
5 years + experience in a similar role or position is desirable and a relevant horticultural qualification along with an eye for detail, the ability to take responsibility, act decisively and the ability to turn your hand to most tasks, is essential.
This is a physically demanding role, working outside all year round, in all weathers. The role involves carrying out tasks requiring high levels of manual dexterity, as well as physically demanding tasks, such as trimming hedges, shovelling, digging, mulching, lifting and carrying.
The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS Check.
We value and respect all the differences that make us who we are, including age, cultural background, disability and mental health, ethnicity and race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and social background.
How to Apply
If you have any questions or are unsure about whether this is for you, please feel free to contact Lisa da Silva on 07470 793565 for an informal chat.
Please complete the Application Form and send to lisa.dasilva@hamunitedcharities.com along with your CV by midday on 13th October 2025.
“It’s a restorative place. Everybody has been so friendly and warm and welcoming.”
Angie moved to Sycamore House a few weeks ago. We caught up to find out how she’s settling in…
What do you think of your new home?It’s just such a joy. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful home. It’s spacious and peaceful and the environment is absolutely stunning. I was in a studio flat before. Now, I have a separate bedroom, which is almost as big as the whole of my last flat.
I have multiple sclerosis so am at home quite a lot, but my last flat was so cramped it was difficult for me to physically manoeuvre my way around it. Now, I can move around much more freely. I could ballet dance around if I was capable!
My flat has been decorated and new flooring was put down. There are beautiful units in the kitchen. I’ve got a balcony as well, so I can stand outside and look at the moon at 10 o’clock at night if I want to.
I lived on a busy junction for the last 11 years. It wasn’t a very nice environment. I had 24-hour noise from sirens, so I didn’t sleep well. There was mould, and I had years of anti-social behaviour from a neighbour. It was pretty horrendous.
Before then, I was living in a lovely flat in Fulham with a friend of mine, who’s an opera singer. I’d just finished a degree in music technology when I got breast cancer. The council wrongly withheld discretionary housing benefits, which meant that payments to my landlord were delayed, so I was made homeless, through no fault of my own, and ended up in social housing accommodation.
I wanted to move for a very long time, but I just didn’t have any other options. I’m in receipt of benefits due to my long-term health issues.
A friend had been to the open day at Sycamore House and told me all about it. I’d just turned 60, which opened the door for me. I put my name down and it all happened really quickly. Now, I’m living in this beautiful place with birds singing and butterflies flying.
Yes. You don’t feel like you’re in the heart of London. It’s so peaceful, a ray of sunshine, an oasis in the desert! Before, I had to wait until things died down around two o’clock in the morning before I could get off to sleep. Whereas now, if I want to go to bed at 8.30 I can, which is incredible.
It’s quite surreal. I keep having ‘pinch me’ moments. Just to be able to open the curtains and see the sun coming up is wonderful. There’s a hammock swing in the garden that’s definitely got my name on it!
Yes, I’ve already bonded with a lot of people here. Everybody I’ve met has been so friendly and warm and welcoming. Whenever I pop down to put my rubbish out, I always end up bumping into people and having a chat.
We went on a trip to Southend yesterday. I went to the coffee morning today, and I’m having a meal with one of my new neighbours tonight.
Chris [the scheme manager] is so lively and efficient as well.
It’s already been a healing time for me, even just in my first few weeks of living here. It’s a restorative place; I can already feel my nervous system calming down. Hopefully, once I’ve been here a little while, I’ll be able to do more of the things that I really love to do. I’m a jazz singer, songwriter, poet, reflexologist and natural health enthusiast, but I haven’t been able to do much of that for the last 11 years. I was offered a grant from Help Musicians a couple of years ago to write songs and record an album, but I had to let it go. The situation I was in just made things too difficult – the noise, the anti-social behaviour and the fact that I basically became a carer for my next-door neighbour.
Maybe, once I’m settled, I can reapply for that grant. I’m already down to sing at Christmas at Sycamore House!
It’s been a very stressful decade, so I feel very blessed that this is my home now.
We’re always happy to show people around our flats, communal areas and award-winning gardens. You can find out what we offer, how to arrange a visit and who’s eligible here.
“Our numbers doubled within the space of three months.”
One in seven people in the UK is at risk of going hungry. Low incomes, a lack of jobs (particularly for people who are disabled or who have caring responsibilities) and high housing costs are just some of the drivers.
Not surprisingly, the number of people needing emergency support from foodbanks has doubled over the last five years. Foodbanks in the Trussell network gave out 2.9 million emergency food parcels last year. Over 1 million of those were for children.
Here in London, foodbank use has reached an all-time high. At least 454,750 food parcels were distributed in London between 2023 and 2024.
The rising need is a situation that Phil Storey, Chief Executive of Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank, knows all too well. He shares, “The cost-of-living crisis hit us in winter 2022; our numbers doubled within the space of three months. We went from feeding around 1,000 people a month to suddenly feeding 2,000 people a month. That meant we needed double the number of vans, double the amount of food and so on. In the winter of 2023, the number went up by another 500, so we were feeding 2,500 people a month for most of 2024.”
The foodbank ended up feeding 30,147 people across the borough last year. As one of its clients shared, “Without you I would have fallen apart, words can’t explain what you have done for me. I was sinking in quicksand and you gave me the branch to pull me out.”
The crucial role of volunteersHammersmith & Fulham Foodbank could not survive without the help of volunteers. Phil says, “The vast majority of what we deliver relies on volunteers. Our foodbank sessions are run by a volunteer team. We’ve got volunteer drivers. We’ve got volunteers in our warehouse who sort all the food. We’ve got volunteer admin. We’ve got volunteer fundraisers. Our charity is rooted in the idea of local people volunteering to support other local people who are struggling.”
The charity is always in need of more volunteers. You can volunteer on a regular or ad hoc basis. Phil adds, “We get a real mix of people helping, including students. A lot of our volunteers gain really valuable skills, which they can then take into the workplace. We can add to people’s CVs, give them skills, give them experience and put them in touch with their local community.”
We’ve provided several grants to the foodbank over the last few years. The most recent grant was for £6,185 towards the cost of training volunteers. Phil explains, “As a professional organisation, our volunteers need to meet minimum standards in areas such as food hygiene and safeguarding. However, the HUC grant means we can invest in additional courses. We’ve been able to ask volunteers, ‘What areas would you like to develop in; what training will be useful to you?’ and proactively respond to that need.”
One crucial role the foodbank plays is signposting. An assessor from Citizens Advice Hammersmith and Fulham (CAHF) joins the client’s first session to discuss what support the person is entitled to.
The foodbank also directs clients to other organisations that might be able to help, and volunteers are on hand to talk about the challenges that clients are experiencing. Phil says, “Training our volunteers to have those more in-depth conversations is vital. While 66% of people only need our help one to three times, others have more complex, long-term problems. Training in areas like mental health and domestic violence helps our volunteers to have conversations that get to the root cause of people’s difficulties. By focusing on addressing those root causes, we can help people to get back on their feet quicker.”
As one foodbank client says, “There is always someone to talk to, on top of some help with food, and when you leave, you feel more positive, uplifted – that there are some good people in the world that care about you as a person.”
The charity is also running de-escalation training, so that volunteers can better support people who are experiencing extreme stress and anxiety.
Support your local foodbankAs part of a network of foodbanks, Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank is able to buy food at wholesale prices, so your money will have the greatest impact if you make a direct donation. You can also donate food at one of the many drop-off points across Hammersmith. You’ll find a full list of the items most needed here.
Phil says, “We have about 12 tonnes of food going out every month. Donations, of food, money or time, are the only thing keeping us going.”
If you work for a charity or community group in Hammersmith & Fulham, please consider signing up to Community Compass. It’s a way for people to find the support they need quickly. As Phil says, “There are so many amazing agencies in Hammersmith & Fulham, but often they aren’t aware of all the other help that’s out there. Community Compass is a digital signposting platform aimed at residents, but it will also be useful for organisations. It means we can quickly and easily help somebody to connect with the breadth of support that is out there in our community.”
11 groups have been awarded grants totalling £108,560.
The voluntary sector makes life better for thousands of people in Hammersmith. From counselling to after-school clubs, the services offered by these organisations can be life changing.
We’ve been supporting grassroots causes for many years, by awarding Community Grants to groups that make a tangible impact to people’s lives, including those working to alleviate poverty, enrich children’s lives, and help some of the most vulnerable people in Hammersmith.
Our most recent grant round in July 2025 saw 11 groups awarded grants totalling £108,560. The full list of grant holders is as follows:
Many organisations need to raise funds to help cover core costs and we’re happy to support this. WCTP is putting its grant towards expenses such as office overheads and practitioner fees, in order to run community youth theatre projects in Hammersmith.
Our grant will help Woman’s Trust to deliver 1-to-1, trauma-informed counselling for women in Hammersmith who are affected by domestic abuse. Approximately 13 women will benefit from a combined total of 176 counselling sessions. Read our Woman’s Trust case study here.
For Brian is using some of its grant to provide a dance programme for people with dementia. The CIC is spending the rest on accessible transport, volunteer expenses and office costs. You can read our interview with For Brian’s founder here.
The educational charity will deliver outdoor, nature-based learning sessions for children and their parents at Wormwood Scrubs Open Space each week. It will also run after-school clubs, a summer family event and trips out.
With the help of this grant, Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre will provide advice and representation to people on a low income who have had their employment rights infringed. For example, clients could be victims of workplace discrimination and harassment, have experienced trafficking or been unfairly dismissed from their job.
The grant will fund the support and supervision of four local community workers, and the training of 10 maternity champions in Shepherd’s Bush, White City and Old Oak.
The CIC was set up to ‘Recognise, Empower and Nurture Artists (RENA)’. Our grant will help The RENA Initiative to run its ‘HeArty’ project – bringing health and wellbeing practitioners together with artists to deliver workshops, befriending group outings and mentoring.
More women will be able to enjoy weekly classes in chair-based yoga, chair-based exercise and Zumba. Participants will also have longer to socialise after the classes, and be served tea, coffee and snacks. Read our case study on Women Aid and Empowerment.
11 young Amici members who have a disability will be supported to take part in a theatrical production. The grant will help to ensure that their access and travel needs are met and that they have a support worker.
Somali Parents will be increasing its director’s hours from eight to 16 per week to enable more effective administration, project coordination, bid writing, and partnership work.
WiggleWaggle CIC is running 36 Zumba sessions at Family Hub Old Oak Community Centre, two community fun days and a community Christmas party. Our grant will contribute towards the costs.
We’re particularly 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.
