“I met everyone at a stay and play baby group. That was the first day I felt human.”
Amel has been coming to the Parent House for over three years. It is like a home to her, and everyone else who attends is like family. Having stayed at home for years when her children were young, feeling isolated and lonely, Amel’s life changed when she started meeting other parents in this warm, welcoming house between King’s Cross and Angel.
Amel talks about how her outlook on life has changed since coming to the Parent House. She is now always looking forward. When she started an outreach course, working with the pupils and families of Islington schools, Amel “started enjoying things, feeling myself again. After that I did the mentee course, and I’ve been a mentee for two years, and this year I started to do a mentoring course, and did an All Change project too.”
Giving with families in Islington
The Parent House provides a safe, inclusive space for Islington parents. It helps to connect them with other parents, and to lifechanging activities in the borough. We care about families in Islington, and support a number of inspiring projects that offer parents essential support and spaces to relax.
“This is like our second family. Even when we’re at the bus stop we tell people about the Parent House.”
The sense of connection Amel and the other parents feel, to each other, and to their neighbours, is clear to see as they share a home-cooked lunch on a bright Autumn afternoon. Sayela (pictured below), who has been part of the Parent House for over ten years, says “this is like our second family. When we come back together like we have today, we’ve always got stories to share. It really builds a sense of community. Even when we’re at the bus stop we tell people about the Parent House.”
Here, for parents who may have lived alone for many years, with little other support or friendship, these human moments like sharing cups of tea and a piece of cake are truly valued. But the parents are also encouraged (when they’re ready) to think bigger. One mother, Janine, expecting her third child, tells the others that the Parent House is “the charity that keeps on giving. Once you have done one thing, it’s like you can do another and another and another.” Amel and the other parents nod in agreement and encouragement. This is home, this is a family.
“The Parent House keeps on giving. Once you have done one thing, it’s like you can do another and another and another.”
You can help even more parents feel at home in Islington
- Giving £20 per month could pay for 2 sharing lunches for local parents and their children.
- A one-off gift of £200 could pay for a year’s worth of DBS checks, enabling parents to volunteer safely and reach more families.
- It costs just over £10,000 per year to employ a project worker to run weekly sessions with parents, and provide a constant, welcoming space for them. A substantial gift could help us to maintain this, and change the lives of even more families for good. Get in touch with us if you would like to discuss making a larger gift.
