Last Friday our team spent the day in a park in Newham, helping The Magpie Project run its annual Summer Party. Here’s what the charity does, and why a party is serious work.
On the day
The brief started simple: get a park ready for a festival, in the heat. We began the morning cleaning up the space, then it was marquees and gazebos up, tables arranged, entertainment ready to go. Volunteers from the GLA, Papier and other partner organisations worked alongside us, and by the time the mums and little ones started arriving, the park felt like a real day out.
Throughout the day we directed families at the entrances, helped with games and activities, served chana, chicken and rice, and tidied the park once the last families had headed home.
Who The Magpie Project supports
The Magpie Project is a Newham charity that works with around 500 families a year: mums with children under five who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, many of whom came to the UK seeking safety. Its aim is to make sure children are not damaged by their time in temporary accommodation, and to give their mothers what they need to raise their children well through those years.
In practice that means a baby bank, a stay and play, family support, and immigration, legal and housing advice, alongside plenty of singing and dancing, all delivered with dignity, trust and care.
Why a party is serious work
Most of the families the charity supports won’t get a holiday this year, or outings, or trips away. The Summer Party is what they get. Founder and CEO Jane Williams describes the aim as embedding “beautiful, joyful memories of community and welcome” in the brains of babies and toddlers whose early years are otherwise marked by insecurity. Heard in person, that lands differently. The bouncy castle and the plate of hot food are doing developmental work.
Why we volunteer
Days like this are the counterweight to the rest of our week. A long, hot day in the park is a useful reminder of who our work is for, and of VCFSE organisations like The Magpie Project showing up on the ground every single day.
Thank you to Jane and The Magpie Project for having us.
Find out more at themagpieproject.org.
