WE ARE SHUT FOR SUMMER: We do not run services in summer. Our next sessions start September 9th at our new premises - Grassroots Resouce Centre, E15 3DB.Please press Need Help Now for links to other organisations to approach for help while we are away.

Tag: Charity

All Our Stories: a collaboration

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Saturday 12th of June at 12pm sustainable fashion designer, humanitarian and artist, Bethany Williams, launched her latest collection, All Our Stories.  

“She still wears stories passed down to her by her mother. Words that no longer fit the same way because life has stretched and changed its shape, but the moral of the story remains. Like the smile on her face. Her joy is new, even though the ending is not. She has not forgotten the promise she made, never to waste these old, tattered tales but to tell them to her children – again and again. To get to the end and watch them smile. They are their stories now. They are All Our Stories.” – Eno Mfon, Spoken Word Poet 

All Our Stories is inspired by Bethany’s continued work with East London grassroots organisation, The Magpie Project, a charity that supports women and children under five who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Magpie project works to make sure that a spell in insecure or temporary accommodation does not result in permanent damage to the life chances of the children who experience it.  

Artist Melissa Kitty Jarram –  inspired by the folklore passed from generation to generation and childhood stories that continue to inform us in our adult lives – ran a storytelling workshops with the Magpie families and illustrated the magical narratives they shared. She then used waste book covers in her illustrations to tell a new story. 

The collection focuses on five main storylines shared by the families of the Magpie Project, “AOS”, “Blessing”, “Dinosaurs” and “The Girl Who Cried Tiger”, as well as Bethany’s own, “The Sun and The Wind” childhood story. 

 “What we noticed through the story-telling workshops, was that the moral in each story always came back to kindness, care, and respect for one another and how these traits, whilst important in childhood, have just as much meaning in adult life.” Bethany Williams 

Working closely with Jane Williams, the founder of the Magpie Project, Bethany Williams will continue the theme of the collection in a commitment to running creative workshops with the Magpie Project community that will capture, share and amplify their myriad stories.  It is the collective’s belief that disseminating these stories empowers and encourages community togetherness and voice at many levels. 

The silhouettes of the collection are inspired by the V&A Museum of Childhood garment archive. This collection sees Bethany’s first detailed exploration into tailoring with a suit inspired by a historical children’s skeleton suit from the 1800’s. The skeleton suit was the first children’s garment designed for play. The new shapes stand alongside our existing forms representing our continued development. The collection also features two corsets created with Welsh designer Rosie Evans using offcuts from the collection production. In these corsets, Rosie has replaced traditional boning with a material made out of fruit packaging waste. 

 At a time when the V&A Museum of Childhood has fully decanted for refurbishment, All Our Stories has filled the empty space with new stories and community faces for our campaign imagery.  

As with all her work, the collection is created via Bethany’s social manufacturing partners who are built into the framework of social enterprise. Bethany continues to work with community driven, UK based social manufacturing partner, Making for Change Poplar Works. For the first time, Williams is using donations of Merino Wool deadstock from Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna, which has been printed with eco-friendly inks via Orto Print in Peckham.  

Through the collaboration with Mending For Good, knitwear has been a key area of development for this collection where Williams proudly introduces a new social manufacturing partnership called Manusa. Manusa is, a social cooperative that involves people from various backgrounds, specializing in hand-techniques including delicate crochet, embroidery and hand-knitting. Designed in collaboration with Alice Morell Evans, the knitwear uses Sesia Wool industry waste sample swatches, crocheted together with Seisia organic bio wool. Each year,  the sample swatches created each season become surplus at the end of each cycle of production. To utilise this waste, Bethany and Founder of Mending For Good, Barbara Guarducci, developed a sorting technique with Sesia for their team to separate the swatches. 

Barbara Guarducci said “Mending for Good was born to provide design-driven technical solutions for the excess stock and left-overs of the fashion industry. Everyday tons of so far “considered” waste are still produced, that is why we love to collaborate with visionary designers such as Bethany Williams that sees waste as the raw material from which a beautiful story can start.”  

The book cover waste, provided by Hachette, is used for Bethany’s iconic Book Bags, and integrated into the collection garments through their woven textile collaboration with San Patrignano, an education and rehabilitation programme that teaches traditional Italian craft and a sense of community.  

Six looks from All Our Stories make up Bethany Williams’ submission for the 2021 International Woolmark Prize finals.  

20% of the profits from this collection will be donated to The Magpie Project via The Bethany Williams Benevolent Fund, a fund set up by The Magpie Project and Bethany Williams in 2020. 

Read what British Vogue has to say about the latest Bethany Williams Collection here

 

Newham’s response to Covid

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The COVID crisis made visible a pre-existing, chronic crisis of inequality and poverty – and the Covid response improved the lives of people suffering before COVID (the homeless, those in unsuitable accommodation, those with NRPF) as well as those who were newly in need. 

  • The spread of COVID 19, government instruction to stay at home and sudden economic crisis exposed and exacerbated deep inequalities in Newham. The borough was already tackling public health crises including related to poor air quality, the housing crisis and poverty. 
    Newham is the most ethnically diverse borough in the UK, with 73% of residents from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. It quickly became clear that the pandemic was disproportionately affecting Black and minority ethnic communities and so was experienced acutely in Newham. There were a number of complex interrelated issues affecting this, borne of long standing health inequalities and structural racism. 
  • ONS data also showed a stark correlation between COVID 19 mortality rates and the prevalence of overcrowded housing. Between 1 March and 17 April 2020, Newham had the highest death rate (114.3 deaths per 100,000) and the biggest overcrowding problem (25.2% of homes are overcrowded). 
    You can see in this photographic essay by Laura Dodsworth the conditions that our mothers had to endure during lockdown. One Room Lockdown. These were mothers who were not under Newham’s direct care and therefore did not benefit from the Mayor’s decision to move all of those in shared accommodation in to self contained homes in order to facilitate the possibility of self-isolating, or social distancing.
    We were so worried about the plight of those unable to keep safe in Migrant Help accommodation that the ITV did a story on it, and the Mayor of Newham wrote to the housing secretary to express concern.

The response of Newham was exemplary in terms of communication, decisiveness and trusting and enabling community groups, faith organisations and third sector to act in the interests of our residents.
Partnership working has been central to supporting residents in Newham, with the council, voluntary, faith and community sector all mobilising together at rapid speed. This included: 

  • The Newham Food Alliance – A network of voluntary, community and faith sector organisations coordinated by the council to distribute food. In 2020, this network and HelpNewham distributed 264,000 food parcels to Newham residents, and council vehicles moved over 920 tonnes of Felix fare-share surplus food, with these figures rising daily.  
  • The Newham Social Welfare Alliance has worked with community organisations to provide training sessions on Housing and Homelessness, Domestic Violence to Children and Young People’s Mental Wellbeing.  Since November, 753 people from 81 organisations have attended sessions. 
    Establishing a COVID-19 Health Champions network of 400+ residents who share information in the community. The network was recognized as best practice by the government and the Ministry of Communities and Local Government now funds similar work at other Councils.  
  • Pioneering a rapid local testing model in the borough, which has fundamentally changed access to testing particularly for the most vulnerable communities. 
  • Working with the local NHS to establish vaccine sites beyond health care settings, including pop up vaccine sites in churches, temples, mosques and community centres.  
  • Offering free accommodation for living in overcrowded housing, the first local authority in the country to do so. This followed research by the council on why some residents feel unable to self-isolate, which found that 71% of those surveyed listed fear of losing their job as a factor that gets in the way of being able to self-isolate. A further 60% said they were preventing from self-isolating by the need to earn money.  
  • Newham rapidly mobilised an emergency accommodation and assessment centre and accommodation for all rough sleepers, regardless of their immigration status or local connection (Four Hotels and 40 Houses of Multiple Occupancy.) Newham has had the largest decrease in rough sleepers this year nationally, with rough sleepers falling by 91%. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Newham had accommodated 124 Rough Sleepers, with approximately 70 people still on the streets. Newham currently has 212 people accommodated and 6 people on the streets. Throughout the pandemic 198 people have been supported to move on out of this temporary accommodation and into longer-term settled accommodation. 

3. The response to COVID proved that – with political will and central funding – crises can be addressed. It proved that other long-standing chronic crises – child poverty, homelessness, food poverty, digital poverty, hygiene poverty, loneliness, NRPF –  could benefit from being treated as a public health crisis of the same urgency. 

  • The pandemic has dissolved many of the barriers between the council, health partners, voluntary, faith and community organisations. This unprecedented mobilisation to support residents demonstrates what is possible when local authorities and community organisations are giving the appropriate funding and powers. In March 2020 the Chancellor promised to do ‘whatever it takes’ to fund councils through the pandemic, but as of March, the impact of the pandemic on Newham council was £82m, and support from government only estimated at £68m. Council across the country have been left short. 
  • The pandemic has also shown the power of local authorities of convenors of local communities during crises. Councils like Newham are uniquely placed to play this role. During COVID 19, we have seen the value of a more balanced central-local relationship in tackling this challenge. The vaccine programme shows each level playing to its strengths: with central government using its purchasing power and other levers to accelerate vaccine development and acquisition, and the local NHS, council and community partners working to get it into people’s arms. The Test and Trace Programme has in contrast been highly centralised. 
  • Newham has launched its 50 Steps to a Healthier Newham Health and Well-Being Strategy 2020-23, that sets out how Newham will respond to the significant pre-existing and new health challenges created by the pandemic. The strategy details how the borough will work with partners to do all possible to maximize the health of the population over the next three years, placing a key focus on supporting people around the determinants of their health. 
  • This is underpinned by the Council’s ‘Towards a Better Newham’ COVID-19 Recovery Strategy, all informed by the council’s overarching strategic goal to tackle inequality, racism and disproportionality. The strategy is based on eight pillars, including a commitment to measuring the council’s success in future on the health, happiness and wellbeing of residents. 
  • Newham is showing what is possible with imaginative policies, partnership working and political will. Going forward, we need a national approach that focuses on prevention and tackling structural inequality at its roots. 

Grassroots: a new nest for our Magpie Minis

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We have long-outgrown the gorgeous Forest Lane Lodge, and the time for our Magpie Mums and Minis to fly to a new nest is upon us.

We love Forest Lane Lodge, and it has been a wonderful base – it kept us safe and still functioning during lockdown, it nurtured all our dreams, our babies, our emerging projects and activities – but now we are too big for it. It is time to move.

Those of you following our ‘new building saga’ know that we have been trying to secure a new home for a VERY long time – and those of you who have already signed on to help know that you did so years ago. That is why we are checking in, and updating. We have a new building, we are really doing it this time!

The good news

We have found a wonderful building. The Grassroots centre, in Memorial Park, next to West Ham tube.

We are excited because:

  • There will be SO much more space, including a dedicated play room, kitchen, cafe area, case work offices, meeting rooms, prayer/quiet room, workshop rooms…. basically so many many rooms!
  • We will have sole use of the building. We will have an outside play areas all to ourselves with planters and (we hope a flower meadow)
  • The building is situated in a park with good transport links
  • Our minis will have a private, safe space (indoor and out) to play,
  • We will have capacity inside to invite all of our beloved professional partners such as, Health Visitors, Family Support workers, Shelter advisers, Praxis, Beauticians, Reiki practitioners, dance artists, artists, theatre practitioners to come, spread out and do their thing.

We are also hoping that the space will allow for a:

  • Laundrette
  • Cafe/cooking collective
  • Community garden
  • Digital hub, but most important
  • Chatting, play, controlled chaos and creating minis’ memories and mums’ belonging.

We could also imagine the wider community using the space for:

  • Hot desking,
  • Birthday parties,
  • Evening classes, etc.

It is daunting, and we will need your help because:

The building has been offices and – well – it needs Magpie-ing up. Alongside some essentials that we are missing we also need a whole lot of colour, love, community and creativity poured in to what could be seen as a bit of a concrete shell right now.

To make the building what we dream it could be for our families we need:

  • Corporate or community groups to volunteer to clean and help us move
  • Builders/developers to help with fitting and furnishing
  • Gardeners/landscape artists to help create a beautiful outdoor space
  • Interior designers to help us imagine an amazing and magical place where mums and minis are centered
  • Furniture suppliers to help us kit the place out
  • Kitchen suppliers to help us create a beautiful collective cooking space, or
  • The money to pay for any of the above that we cannot beg or borrow in-kind.
  • Outdoor play equipment
  • Buggy storage and outdoor shed

So here’s where we need your help

We know we ask a lot of you, our beautiful, bountiful community. And here we are asking again, after a period of years where we have all given more than we ever thought possible. But – you know – it’s just so important to show up for our most at risk children and mothers. The brilliant thing is that with a little time and generosity we can, together, make something really beautiful and meaningful happen.

What can you pledge?

We feel as though we need to get an idea of how big our dreams can be. We know – from the amazing support we have had in the past years – that there are many, many of you who help us, answer our call-outs, come to our aid. But it would be great if we get an idea of who is out there and what we an do together.

If you are interested in helping us give our mums and minis a safe, beautiful space to heal, learn and thrive please fill in the pledge form below. Then we will be in touch. If you did this 3 years ago when we thought we were gonna be able to move to a different building (the less said the better!) then we will be in touch too.

What can you help us with(required)

Thank you so much, as always, for being there for our families. We will be in touch, hopefully with good news and a call to action as soon as we can.

Call out for babies and boobs

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We are excited to be working alongside a committee of Newham, BME, Migrant or marginalised mums, Alternatives and the NCT to co-create a suite of support services around childbirth and parenthood.

In our initial workshops, our mums told us they felt let-down by a lack of early, as-and-when needed help. It meant they were not able to establish breastfeeding.

For many mums, feeling you’ve not had the support you need to breastfeed can trigger difficult emotions which are hard to come to terms with. For some of our mums who are living below the breadline, the expense of formula is potentially financially devastating.

So we are committed to giving as much support to breastfeeding as possible.

This is where you guys come in. We usually demonstrate with whatever is to hand – a toy octupus, miming and gesticulating at our own, or mums’ boobs – which you will probably agree is not the best thing!

So we were thinking it would be nice to have some woolly boobs and babies !

Can you knit or crochet us a boob – or a baby to help with our classes?

There are many great patterns online. We would love all sizes and skin tones. Please feel free to:

  1. knit a boob or a baby or two, make sure it is safe and easily washed.
  2. send it to
    The Magpie Project, knitting appeal.
    c/o Forest Lane Lodge,
    Forest Lane Park,
    Magpie Close
    E7 9DE
  3. Or get in touch with Jules to discuss what you will be knitting.
  4. If you don’t knit, buy us a doll – these are the best.
  5. If you want to support our work, donate money and we promise we will put it straight to work helping mums and minis.

Recruiting: Trustee, and Chair of Trustees

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Could you be the person to help steer our charity from its first five years in to a flourishing future?

Who are we?

We are a young, dynamic, grass-roots, award-winning charity focused solely on helping under fives who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Newham and surrounding boroughs.
Our mission is to make sure that a period in temporary or insecure accommodation does not cause long term damage to the health, wellbeing and life chances of those under fives who experience it. Because of hte nature of the need we face up to 75% of those families we work alongside are subject to the hostile environment.
We have a strong staff team, a large group of volunteers, and we are well established in our community from which we enjoy unprecedented support.
We punch way above our weight on the local and national policy stage, making big noises in parliament, the house of lords, in the London Borough of Newham, in the arts and even in fashion.
Now, in our fifth year we are looking to take on a new building, and to consolidate and codify our work so that we can use our learning to keep improving the work we do alongside our families as well as help other organisations meet their needs.
We are hands on, curious, joyful and compassionate in our approach and we are looking for trustees who share our belief that every single child has the right to a secure, safe place to play, healthy food, engaged, informed parents, and access to support, no matter what their family circumstances.

Who are you?

  • You have a deep and demonstrable commitment to our aims and ethos of coproduction with, journeying alongside, meeting the needs of, and advocating for, our community of mothers and children who face multiple barriers to accessing services to which they are entitled. This will be visible in your professional and personal life.
  • You are honest about the amount of time you can give to our board and able to set that time aside each week/month.
  • You are committed to playing an active, curious, energetic part in the day-to-day life and growth of our charity.
  • You have experience of governance, VAWG, Homelessness, Immigration work or of HR or law.
  • If you have lived experience of any of the issues facing our families (temporary accommodation, forced migration, insecure housing) we would especially love to hear from you
  • Will be able to commit at least 3 solid focused hours a week to this role, although this will vary across weeks.

Please do think very carefully about whether this is the point in your life where you are able to take on a trustee role. In our experience – and we do this ourselves too – people tend to over-estimate how much time they will be able to commit and then, when in post, struggle to fulfil the commitment. This makes things stressful and difficult both for them – they feel guilty, or anxious and the trusteeship becomes a chore – and we feel bad for chasing up good people who we know are just over-committe

We offer

  • The chance to be part of a friendly, informal, supportive and effective board and organisation.
  • The opportunity to be part of an award winning, change making, innovative charity based in trauma- and psychologically-informed practice.
  • Training around being a trustee, governance, and safeguarding.
  • An arena in which to make a real difference that you can see and measure from week one.

Applications close May 25th noon.
Interviews first week in June.

Download recruitment pack: Chair of Trustees
Download recruitment pack: Trustee
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Applications close

Running Mum 40….

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We could not be prouder of Monica. She came to us at the start of the year with an idea – an incredible idea. To run 40 10km races in a year. Forty, in a year! Not one, not twenty – forty!!!!!

We thought she was wonderful – a little crazy but a lot wonderful.

Now, time has flown, and undeterred even by a global pandemic, she only has a few races left to go.

Even more amazingly she only has £770 to raise to reach her very ambitious target of £4,040.40 (Yes we suggested the target).

Please do support her if you can.

We don’t think anybody has ever worked harder for their fundraising.

This is her latest blog post.

“Firstly, happy 3rd birthday to @magpieprojectuk .

So it was June 5th 2017 that they started off as a few concerned women, asking homeless mums what they needed from The Magpie project to help.

They have grown from strength to strength and have continued to serve the vulnerable who are most affected by the virus. 


This week, the girls and I returned to school after almost 11 weeks.

I’ve had the most wonderful time with Tilia and Kita and feel like I’ve got to know them all over again.

Their relationship and love for each other is beautiful and it’s been amazing to watch this blossom.

Yes, there have been tricky days where I was not at my best as a mother, teacher or role model however I would reflect on this and talk myself through why it was difficult and how to to avoid a situation like that again. 


Today was a solo run around Wanstead and it was a chilly and windy one. The run was a little bit over the hour but could have been under the hour if I hadn’t walked for a minute to blow my nose…so annoying. 


The Justgiving page was written together with Jane (founder of The Magpie Project) and she set the target of £4040.40.

At the time I was thinking, I’m never going to make this and didn’t want to let them down but I was so wrong. I underestimated how my friends, family, colleagues, ex-colleagues and neighbours would be so giving and generous. You guys are amazing!! I have to raise £770 to reach my target and I’m going to get there I know!!

Please continue to donate at 
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runningmum40

Monica, Running Mum 40.