- You are here :
- Home
- » In your area
- » North West London
- » Get Involved
Get Involved
Volunteers - parents and expectant parents just like you - run our branch. You don’t need to take on huge tasks, just commit whatever time you can or your previous experience and skills. It is a great way to learn new skills, make new friends, and represent the NCT. Please get in touch and get involved.
If you'd like to find out more about volunteering, why not come along to our next branch meeting? Wednesday 3rd March, NW10. Email chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk for more details. We are currently seeking new volunteers for some key roles and to join the following teams:
- Bumps and Babies hosts
- NEW local teams: Brent & Barnet / Hampstead & Camden Teams
- Cheeky Monkeys Team
- Newsletter Team (editorial)
- Treasurer
- Advertising Co-ordinator
- Publicity Co-ordinator
- Dads wanted: new Dads' Group Spring 2010
- Postnatal Co-ordinators (NW1, NW4, NW9)
- One-off Help
Bumps and Babies Hosts
There are currently three Bumps and Babies groups for pregnant women and parents with babies up to crawling age, in NW3, NW4 and NW6. New hosts are needed for September onwards for the NW6 group to come every week (or less if there are enough volunteers to have a rota) to get the equipment out and welcome the parents who attend. If no one volunteers it is likely the NW6 group will have to be closed.
If there isn't a group near you then you could also help set one up - the NCT can help with start up costs and advice / support.
This would be a great way to make new friends, support local parents and volunteer with the NCT. It would suit someone who is pregnant, has a baby under 9 months old or whose children are older / in childcare or school as some of the venues are unsuitable for toddlers.
Involves: Being able to come every week (less if the role is shared), setting up the playmats and toys, welcoming parents, if applicable making teas and coffees and replacing supplies as necessary, collecting weekly donations. There is a Parent Support Co-ordinator who oversees the groups and checks the Bumps and Babies emails already, she is also available for support and advice if needed and you would be expected to liaise with her to feedback on how the group is doing.
Takes: 2 hours a week to attend the Bumps and Babies session, every week. Also the odd trip to the shop to buy milk and tea bags!
Interested?: Contact Frances (Parent Support Co-ordinator) nwlondonbumps@yahoo.co.uk
NEW local teams: Brent & Barnet Team / Hampstead & Camden Team
Join our new Brent & Barnet or Hampstead & Camden teams, make friends and do something for your local community. The teams will work with their Parent Support Co-ordinator to develop more local activities, fun events and to bring the voice of local parents to the branch. Maybe you'd like to see a Pregancy and Baby fair in your area, or more Bumps & Babies groups. Maybe you'd like more breastfeeding support, or you'd just like to help run our regular pregnancy evening socials. Whatever you see for your area, this is the place to be to make it happen. .
Involves: meeting up with the rest of the team, deciding on a project, then going for it!
Takes: As much or as little time as you can offer.
Interested?: Please contact: chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1)
Cheeky Monkeys Team
NCT Cheeky Monkeys Tea Parties are held all over the country. They are family fun days and we'd like to hold one in NW London Summer 2010. The day would include a jungle-themed fancy dress competition, face painting, singing and games. This would be an afternoon event, hopefully at the weekend so the whole family can come. It is aimed at families with young children. Organising the Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party would be a great way to help out with a one-off event, make friends and do something for your community.
Involves: Meeting up with the team, booking a venue, stalls, activities, face painters, posters to publicise the sale.
Takes: A limited amount of time over the summer - a couple of hours a week building up to the day. Whether you're at home with the kids or work during the week and would like the chance to meet other parents and have a fun event to go to during the summer, this could suit you! There are already some people interested in helping, so this would be a chance to join a team.
Interested? Please contact: Karen Smith nw11pnc@me.com
Newsletter Team (editorial)
The branch newsletter is published three times a year, in Februrary, May and September/October. It has a print-run of over 1500 and goes out to all branch members, specialist workers and volunteers. The newsletter usually contains branch news, reports from local hospitals, birth stories, articles and national NCT news, as well as some local listings and some advertising.
Involves: Putting together the newsletter! Work with other team members to decide on a theme and ideas for content, then commission articles, collect local branch and hospital reports, update volunteer profiles and do anything else that needs doing. Layout the newsletter (including adverts). Negotiate competitive rates with printers.
Takes: 4-6 weeks before each newsletter.
Interested? Please contact newsletternctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 3)
Treasurer
A successful Treasurer is someone who is ‘good with money’, well organised and who has sufficient time to maintain the branch records, helping the branch to secure and manage the finances for local activities and to contribute to the NCT’s overall income to support over a million parents every year. Branch Treasurers do not need to be qualified accountants or book keepers.The NCT offer support and training.
Involves: Managing the local web-based accounting system for NCT branches, keeping the local Lloyds/TSB bank account in good order, planning the branch budget each year (with the branch team) and producing reports on branch finances for team meetings and/or fundraising planning sessions and the year end accounts for the Annual Members’ Meeting. In addition the treasurer helps with the financial side of fundraising events and the Nearly New Sale (float, takings and seller's cheques etc) and with the invoicing of advertisers and any monies owed.
Takes: 2 hours a week, with busier times around the two Nearly New Sales (March and October) and at the close of each quarter and year-end (September).
Interested? Please contact chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1)
Advertising Co-ordinator
The branch offers a range of commercial opportunites, including newsletter advertising, Nearly New Sale inserts, nwlondonkids (under-5's guide) advertising and antenatal pack inserts. The advertising co-ordinator would be able to help raise revenue for the NCT, consolidating the existing network of advertisers and offering them a more streamlined business opportunity.
Involves: Approaching and booking adverts for the newsletter, Nearly New Sale goody bags, nwlondonkids and the antenatal inserts.
Takes: 1-2 hours a week to check emails, with busier times around the publication dates for the newsletter and the Spring and Autumn Nearly New Sales (January/February, April/May and September/October).
Interested? Please contact: chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1)
Publicity Co-ordinator
The branch is organising more events and needs to build community awareness of what is on offer.
Involves: Writing and sending out press releases, building a list of locations across the branch to display posters, organising the distributiion of posters, including the development of a network of members to put up posters. The publicity co-ordinator would be responsible for organising volunteers to help publicise local NCT events through leafleting/putting posters up. A good knowledge of the area, the NCT or relevant experience would help here!
Takes: Intially a few hours a week until it is all set up, then hours mainly concentrated in the 4 weeks leading up to an event.
Interested? Please contact: chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1)
Dads Wanted: new Dads' Group, Spring 2010
Are you a dad who looks after your children part or full-time? Would you like to meet other dads in NW London while your children play? NW London NCT is looking to set up a new Dads' group with a weekly meet up (in a park with a cafe!) starting in February 2010. A Parent Support Co-ordinator (Dads) volunteer is needed to help get the ball rolling.
Involves: Putting up posters and spreading the word, coming along to the first month or two's meet-ups to help get the group started. Checking a nwlondondads email account once a week.
Takes: Around 2 hours a week, split between time in the park, and checking emails/putting posters up. This role could easily be shared between a couple of volunteers, in which case it might be a little less time.
Interested?: Please contact chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6220 (option 1)
Post Natal Co-ordinators:
NW1 (Euston/Kings Cross)
NW4, Hendon
NW9 (Kingsbury/Colindale)
Post Natal Co-ordinators are a key part of the support and social network we offer new parents
Involves: Ringing local mothers when their baby is six-twelve weeks old to invite them and their partners to a coffee morning with 8-10 other mothers (usually hosted by the PNC), helping the new mothers arrange another meet-up the following week to encourage them to keep meeting, follow up with mothers who came and those who couldn’t by email, answer local enquiries from people reading the NCT website or newsletter.
Takes: up to one hour a week plus a coffee morning every couple of months
Interested? Please contact: chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1)
One off help
Dip your toe and get to meet some of us regulars. Don’t be shy!
- Nearly New Sale goody bag stuffing and donation labelling (twice a year)
- Helping out on Nearly New Sale day
- Helping out at the Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party facepainting, running a stand or a game.
- Putting up posters, handing out leaflets about NCT events and activities in the maternity units, playgroups, nurseries, supermarkets, health clinics, GPs surgeries, libraries, community centres etc. that you visit or pass (all year round, really helps to get the word out about what we are doing)
- Fire Station visits at half terms - contact chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk to hold one near you.
