Years of austerity, the pandemic and a hard-hitting cost-of-living crisis have left many people unable to cope financially. Crosslight Advice provides free debt, benefit and budgeting advice to people across London. Not surprisingly, the charity has seen an increase in demand in recent years, so is keen to recruit more volunteers. Stephan Wiedmer, Branch Manager […]
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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Guy Vincent shares his ambitions for Hammersmith United Charities.
Guy is a retired solicitor who has lived in Hammersmith for over 40 years. As well as having a long legal career, Guy has decades of experience in the not-for-profit sector. He was a school governor for 35 years and spent several years volunteering as Chair of the Finance Committee at Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre. If you recognise Guy, that’s probably because he also served as a local councillor for Hammersmith & Fulham.
We spoke to Guy about why he volunteers and what he wants to achieve in his new role as Chair of Hammersmith United Charities.
I’ve been very lucky to have had an interesting career and learn skills that I’m happy to still use where I can. I’ve been engaged in the community throughout my 45+ years in Hammersmith, so I know the neighbourhood well.
I gave up my other voluntary commitments a couple of years ago as we were moving house and having a lot of work done. Once we’d finished all that, I thought it would be nice to do something in the community again. I want to contribute something, not just sit with my feet up!
I was a councillor with the previous Chair, Vivienne, and heard that she was retiring from the role. From what I’ve seen so far, Hammersmith United Charities is a great organisation and run very well, so I’m really looking forward to getting started.
It’s early days and to begin with, I’ll just be learning about the charity, understanding what can be done, and figuring out what I can contribute. I’m coming in as a stranger amongst a committee full of people who’ve been doing this for years, so I’m looking forward to getting to know people.
I’ve signed up for the Christmas dinners and plan to attend coffee mornings and things like that. People like to know who their trustees are, so I think it’s important that I’m seen around the place.
In the long term, I just want to help the charity to provide as much support to the community as it can. I’ll be working with the team – both the trustees and the management – to try to make sure that the charity prospers and continues to do great things.
It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to expand the almshouses. However, there’s a great deal of opportunity to make an impact through the grants. While the sums being given aren’t enormous, a small sum of money can have a very big impact on a small organisation.
My wife, Sarah, and I enjoy travelling by train around Europe. We’ve got more time on our hands now that we’re retired, so we can take things at a more leisurely, pleasant pace. We spend a few hours on the train, get off, stop somewhere nice, have a meander and spend the night. It’s so much nicer than flying. Italy is our favourite place to visit; we’ve been going for 40 years. We particularly love Tuscany for its lovely medieval villages, which are always a joy to visit.
We also enjoy being involved in the community. It just seems the right thing to do – work within the community, for the community.
Providing free legal advice to those most in need
“We recently represented a migrant woman who was trafficked to the UK by a wealthy family. She was forced to work extremely long hours as a nanny, housekeeper and cleaner. She didn’t receive anywhere near the minimum wage, and the family had control of her passport and bank account.”
This situation, shared by Sara Taylor, CEO of Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre, is all too common. However, this particular woman went through an even worse experience. Sara explains, “The family said that she could visit her family. When she returned, not only had her employment been terminated, but she’d also been made homeless. This is a woman in her early 60s, who had been with this family, in servitude, for decades.
“When she turned up in our reception, she said, ‘When I came back, they wouldn’t let me in the house, so I’ve got nowhere to live; I don’t have my medicine; I don’t have my money; I don’t have a job; I have nothing.’ It seems an extreme situation, but it’s one that unfortunately we do come across.
“We not only assisted her with a tribunal claim against her employers for unpaid wages and damages, we also made a homelessness application and arranged for her to receive pension credit. She got her own flat and with the money she’s now received, is hoping to go back to her country of origin and retire.”
Without the Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre, this outcome could have been very different. There is no Legal Aid for employment law advice, other than for a small area relating to discrimination, and many workers simply cannot afford to pay a solicitor.
Thankfully, Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre offers free legal advice to people who are on a low income, including delivery drivers, nannies and factory workers.
Sara shares, “The people who come to us are facing a myriad of issues. Unfortunately, lots of people are dismissed unfairly by their employers. We also see a lot of claims for unpaid wages, holiday wages or sickness pay as, again, lots of employers don’t pay workers what they’ve earned.”
The Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre can help with legal issues such as:
Sara adds, “Some people are seeking compensation; others are trying to get their job back or to stay in their job with the adjustments that they’re entitled to. Some have agreed to leave their job and are just looking for a good reference.”
The Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre supports clients in a number of ways. Sara explains, “We draft witness statements, accompany clients to meetings with their employer, represent them at hearings and so on. Sometimes, we’ll just spend a couple of hours with a client, going through their legal options, giving them legal advice, and then confirming all that in writing, and that’s as much as they need. Other times, we will represent them in a whole tribunal claim, from the beginning to the end.”
The Law Centre helps clients with a wide range of challenges, such as being unlawfully evicted, living in an unhealthy rental property and applying for indefinite leave to remain. However, these cases are usually covered by Legal Aid, while the centre’s employment-related cases are not.
Earlier this year, we provided Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre with a £10,000 grant. Sara says, “Without charitable grants like this, we wouldn’t have an employment law solicitor; we just couldn’t do this work. It was a really difficult situation for that client [mentioned above], but we were able to help, partly due to this grant.”
If you’re on a low income and need legal advice, you can make an appointment with Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre by emailing reception@hflaw.org.uk, calling 020 3880 1727 or visiting their office during working hours.
A thank you from our team
Everyone at Hammersmith United Charities would like to thank Vivienne Lukey as she steps down after 12 years as a trustee, including six years as Chair.
During her time with the charity, Vivienne made a significant contribution to its governance and direction, working closely with trustees, staff, residents, and community partners to ensure that our historic 400-year-old charity developed to meet the needs of our 21st-century community. She played a key role in supporting both our almshouse housing for older residents and our grants programme for grassroots organisations tackling inequality in Hammersmith.
Her leadership was particularly important in steering the charity through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a period of turbulent economic conditions and the cost of living crisis, ensuring that the community was supported and that the charity remained resilient and responsive during exceptionally difficult times.
We are grateful for Vivienne’s commitment, leadership, good humour and care, and for the way she has helped the charity to evolve while staying true to its values.
We are pleased to welcome Guy Vincent as our new Chair and look forward to working with him as the charity moves into its next chapter.
Join our team in Hammersmith.
Assistant Community Gardener
Salary: £28K (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 working with our Community Gardener. We are looking for someone who has demonstratable knowledge and experience, with the relevant horticultural qualifications/experience to support this. Knowledge and experience 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 perform their tasks to achieve the highest standards. 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.
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 Victoria Cripps on 07909 203 924 for an informal chat.
Please complete the Application Form and send to lisa.dasilva@hamunitedcharities.com along with your CV by midday on 9th January 2026.
