Thank you for considering volunteering with us. We are a diverse group of people with one thing in common: We believe that communities function best when we look after each other.

Volunteer Interest Form

The majority of our volunteer roles take place during our Monday and Wednesday stay and play sessions and our Friday singing sessions, with the exception of our form filling role. If you can’t see a role that fits your skills – get in touch and tell us what you CAN do! No doubt we can find a role for you.

Browse our roles below

Stay and play session volunteer roles:

Hours: 9am – 2pm weekdays (term time only)

Café assistant
Playgroup helper
Kitchen assistant

Café assistant

Work in our beautiful new café area!
Get mums seated and offer teas and coffees
Encourage mums to move through to our play space
Keep breakfast and tea stations well stocked
Help to set up and serve lunch and then pack away
Be a friendly, confident and non – judgemental person!

Playgroup helper

Hours: 9.30 til 2.30 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (termtime only)

Support with setting up play space
A lovely role where your main responsibility is to chat to mums and play with babies and toddlers
Be empathetic, patient and non judgmental!

Playgroup helper role description

Refreshments and kitchen helper

Hours: 9.30 til 2.30 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (term time only)

We love to offer everyone who comes in to the building really high quality refreshments from teas and coffees to croissants!
Support our kitchen manager in preparing healthy hot lunches, with food provided by our partners City Harvest
Prepare food in accordance with food hygiene standards
Help with serving as well as washing and cleaning up
This role requires a lot of standing up! (up to 3 hours)
Level 2 food hygiene training provided

Thursday morning form-filling volunteer

Hours: 10am – 1pm Thursdays (term time only). Based at Solar House, Romford road, Stratford.

crop ethnic psychologist writing on clipboard during session — Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com

Supporting mums with reading and understanding letters and filling out forms
Be detail oriented and patient!
You don’t need any specialist knowledge of the forms or letters, you simply need a high level of written English, a knowledge of how to navigate online and paper forms or the confidence to learn.

Volunteer form filler role

Donations and shop assistant

Flexible hours (term time weekdays)
We like to keep our shop and donations to the highest standards. We do this to make sure that they have as much dignity and choice as possible.
Sorting clothes by size and rejecting anything that does not meet our high standards
Putting together new baby bags, toy and activity bags to be given to mums
Laundering and ironing clothes may also be involved

Check out our fundraising ideas

Get in touch

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.