Christmas celebrations at The Magpie Project!

As we return rested from our winter break, we can look back at the success of our Christmas event! We hosted our Christmas giveaway across 2 days, which featured presents and a stocking for every child, a present for mums and a hamper for each family. Despite the torrential rain more than 215 families joined us, mums filled their bags and buggies with gifts and goodies while minis drank hot chocolate! There was even an appearance from Mother Christmas herself, along with her elf helpers!

We got to show off our amazing new song ‘The places you’ll go’ which was written and recorded with London Rhymes, it didn’t quite make Christmas number one, but we are very proud of it!.
We danced and sang and ate lots of delicious food provided by our amazing partners Community food Enterprise and City Harvest.

The support we received from the community and our partners this year was phenomenal, we had more than 400 children’s presents, 200 mums presents, and 280 food hampers donated. For this we have to thank Wanstead WI and Westfield for the presents for our mums and Hasbro, Solotech at ABBA Voyage, Bancroft Rugby Club, and The Wanstead Charity for all the gifts for our minis. Our amazing local bookshop Newham Bookshop also curated a selection of books for us using community donations and 100 books from our partners Discover, Enabled Living and a community member also funded books. All the books were put into stockings handmade by our amazingly talented quilting volunteers and given out to every child by Mother Christmas.

We are so lucky to have so many lovely volunteers, who joined us the day before to sort, wrap and age label all the presents. As this was going on a constant flow of hampers arrived from members of the community. Their support continued across our giveaway days as volunteers helped to distribute presents, give out nappies and serve hot chocolate to our Magpie families. A big thankyou to the volunteers who joined us from our partners Papier, Solotech at ABBA Voyage, Discover and Hadley. A special shoutout to Enabled Living who became elves for the days! We really could not have done it without you all!

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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.

Christmas celebrations at The Magpie Project!

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