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Help combat social isolation and food / fuel poverty in Hackney! 'Warm Welcome' is a weekly community drop-in at St Peter's Church, De Beauvoir Town, N1 4DA. We welcome guests with a free vegan soup and bread meal, cake, board games, crafts and chat. It is free and everyone is welcome. We run every Wednesday, 11:30am - 5:30pm. Initially launched as a response to the cost of living crisis in December 2022, we have developed into an important space for addressing social isolation in De Beauvoir. Coming to Warm Welcome provides guests with a space where they can stay warm, be fed, make friends, have fun, and develop a sense of inclusion and belonging. Volunteers are needed to help with the following: - Setting up the space - Serving tea and coffee - Heating up and serving soup - Washing up - Packing away Most importantly, volunteers are needed to welcome and chat with guests. Volunteers are there to establish a friendly and inviting atmosphere where guests feel safe. Volunteers should be aware that some of our guests are in vulnerable situations, such as financial distress and mental health challenges. Volunteers do not provide advice to people, but rather a listening ear. We signpost guests to professional services as necessary. Volunteers do not need to be available for the whole day; we allocate people to slots based on their availability. In joining the volunteer team, you will be helping to build an important community space, as well as meeting new local people and forming new friends! Recruitment process: upon expressing interest in volunteering, you will be asked to fill out a short contact details form. You will also need to ask a neighbour / colleague to send the project leader a brief character reference, confirming how they know you and your suitability for volunteering with potentially vulnerable people. Volunteers receive training, including in safeguarding procedures, from the project leader.
- Friendliness and welcoming demeanour - Willing to sit and chat with guests - Willingness to help out with ad hoc tasks needed to set up the space and make it welcoming
- Experience in creating a space that is safe and welcoming for all - Social contact - Fun and making friends - Knowledge that you are helping your community in a difficult period
- Flexible – we can allocate volunteers depending on their commitment. - We allocate volunteers to time slots 11:30-14:30, or 14:30-17:30.
