The Magpie Project

We believe all children have the right to a secure, safe place to play, healthy food, engaged, informed parents, and access to support, no matter what their family circumstances

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Hundreds of children are going without any home cooked meals as they live in hotels with just a kettle. We want to make sure that all homes for families have kitchens as standard. (shocking that this even needs saying). Will you help?

Magpie Project Rights, Experience advocacy Change team.

Sign our petition now

Join our campaign for kitchens for #allourchildren

WHAT WE DO

WHY WE DO IT

WHO WE ARE

How do we keep ourselves and our children safe

Safeguarding our mums and minis

Want to get involved with the Magpie Project and help us help our mums and minis?

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Latest news

Go Helen!

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievement of Helen, from our partner organisation JustIdeas, who completed the 2025 London Marathon in support of The Magpie Project — raising an astonishing £100 for every mile she ran. That’s over £2,600 to help provide vital support for mums and under-fives. Everyone at The Magpie Project is…

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025

Kitchen campaign update

WOW! There is so much happening right now for our campaign. Visits from our wonderful MPs Stephen Timms and Uma Kumaran. Articles in the Guardian, the Metro, and Inside Housing. Our Rights Experience Advocacy Change (REACH) team of Magpie Mums have been SO busy in so many different ways. We have also given written evidence…

March 25, 2025March 25, 2025

Iftar at The Magpie Project

This week we hosted Iftar at The Magpie Project. We gave our kitchen over to 2 mums to cook and everyone was welcome to join us to eat.Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal of fruit, dates, chickpeas, spicy vegetable fried rice, Batata Vada and samosas.This was especially important for us to do as many of our…

March 13, 2025March 13, 2025

A safe space to play

Creating a safe space to play is a priority for us at The Magpie Project particularly as many of our minis do not have this option at home, in cramped accommodation with no outside space . As the sun begins to come out play gravitates outside which means more sand, water and climbing.

March 5, 2025March 5, 2025

Vision, Mission, Values

We were founded on togetherness, listening, love and unconditional positive regard – but we have never really put the way that we work all together in one place and agreed on our way of doing things, until now! At the end of November we got together with mums, minis, staff, volunteers, trustees to talk through…

January 25, 2025February 2, 2025

Campaign update

So it turns out that making a noise works! Our Rights Experience Advocacy Change group (REACH) team made up of mums who are experiencing the issues we are speaking up on – has been campaigning to stop children being housed without a kitchen for around a year now…. There are two main types of family…

November 14, 2024February 2, 2025

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Charity Partners

Our awards and accomplishments

Account number	A 10-12 digit number given to your bank account. You can find your account number on your online banking page or on bank statements.
Card Number	A 16-digit number with that is found on the front of your debit/credit card.
Credit Card	A credit card doesn’t spend your money. It spends the bank’s money and you must pay it back. This means you can spend more than is in your account, but you might be charged extra for doing this, especially if you are late paying the bank.
Credit Score	A number that records how likely you are to repay your debts. High credit scores are better as it means financial products such as overdrafts and credit cards cost less.
Debit Card	A debit card is a card that lets you take out money from ATMs and make payments in stores or online from your account.
Financial Service Compensation Scheme (FSCS)	An organisation set up to protect the money you put in bank accounts. If you have a current or basic account, the FSCS will pay you up to £85,000 if your bank goes bankrupt.
National Insurance Number (NI)	The number makes sure that the National Insurance contributions and tax you pay are properly recorded on your account. It also acts as a reference number for the whole social security system.
Overdraft	An amount of money you can spend even when you have no money in your account. It is like a small loan from your bank. Overdrafts are often not free, so you need to be very aware what the costs are before using one.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)	A PIN is a 4-digit number that is given to you with a debit card. This is used when taking out money from ATMs or when making in-store purchases with your card. Never share your PIN with anyone as it could be used to commit fraud.
Security Code	A 3-4 digit number found on the back of your debit/credit card in the signature section. This number will be required for nearly all online payments. The code provides an extra layer of security to safeguard you from fraud.
Sort Code	A 6-digit number that is used to identify your bank. You can find your sort code on your online banking platform, on bank statements or on your debit card.
Standing Order	When a fixed amount that you choose is paid from your account to another person or organisation. This is different from the direct debit as the amount that is paid is the same each time.

Saves time – you don’t need to remember to pay a bill.	You need to make sure there is enough money in your account when the direct debit or standing order will be taken. If there is not enough money, you could be charged extra by the bank.
You will get money back for any incorrect payments for direct debits only.	You must remember to cancel standing orders when you want to stop paying someone regularly.
You can cancel a direct debit or a standing order at any time through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.	Sometimes you might think you are setting up a direct debit, but it is actually a recurring payment or continuous payment authority (CPA). Be careful if companies ask for the long number on your card instead of your sort code and account number. This will mean they can take money whenever they think they are owed.

Saves Time	Make sure there is enough money in your account when the direct debit or standing order will be taken. If there is not enough money, you could be charged extra by the bank.
You don’t need to remember to pay a bill	You must remember to cancel standing orders when you want to stop paying someone regularly.
You will get money back for any incorrect payments for direct debits only.	Sometimes you might think you are setting up a direct debit, but it is actually a recurring payment or continuous payment authority (CPA). Be careful if companies ask for the long number on your card instead of your sort code and account number. This will mean they can take money whenever they think they are owed.
You can cancel a direct debit or a standing order at any time through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.


Magpie Mums say: “Always use direct debits if you can, so you don’t forget to pay and are charged. If you can’t use direct debits, make sure you put the dates when you’re supposed to make payments in your phone calendar.” “I’m used to it. It’s easy on the phone. I try to avoid going to banks.”

Bank Examples	Forms of Identity Needed
Metro Bank	Asylum seekers can apply for a cash account and/or savings account. This requires an Application Registration Card (ARC), proof of address and confirmation of asylum seekers support allowance or other income.
Lloyds	You can apply for a Classic Current account with a BRP, ARC or a Home Office Immigration Status document. Refugees and asylum seekers can apply for a ‘Classic current account’. This includes an arranged overdraft. Fees are charged if you go into your overdraft.
Nationwide	You can get a ‘FlexBasic account’ (basic bank account) and an ‘Instant Access saver’ (basic savings account). They accept BRP, ARC and Home Office Immigration Status document.
HSBC	You cannot open a bank account if you are from outside the EU. They accept BRP but NOT ARC. They accept BRP but NOT ARC.
Monzo	Refugees can open a current account with a BRP and their UK address. However, Monzo do not accept ARC. You can get your benefits or salary (depending on your employer) paid into your Monzo account 1 day earlier.