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.

Two new branches are currently in the process of being set up to cover the North West London area:

North West London (new): NW2, NW4, NW6 (Queen's Park), NW9, NW10, NW11

Hampstead and Camden: NW1, NW3, NW5, NW6 (West Hampstead), NW8

Volunteering vacancies for the North West London (new) branch are listed below. For Hampstead and Camden vacancies please go to the Hampstead and Camden page.

North West London branch

The branch already has a treasurer, parent support co-ordinator and a good network of parent support co-ordinators, plus one new Bumps and Babies group. Currently new volunteers are needed to fill some key roles and to join the following teams:

• Branch co-ordinator/chair
• Membership co-ordinator
• Newsletter Team (editorial & advertising)
• Nearly New Sale Team
• Postnatal Co-ordinators  (NW4, NW9)
• Bumps and Babies hosts
• One-off Help 

To find out more about volunteering please come to the special branch meeting on Thursday 16th February 8pm in NW10. For full details contact Anna, chairnctnnw@yahoo.co.uk

Branch Co-ordinator

The branch co-ordinator is an essential role to ensure the branch can function effectively.

Involves: Leading the branch team, running branch team meetings, supporting branch volunteers, communicating with regional team/UK Office and with branch members,  promoting the NCT locally. This role would suit someone optimistic and enthusiastic, with good leadership and delegation skills. Good organisational skills help too! There is a lot of support available, from the outgoing branch co-ordinator, the regional team and NCT branch support, and a chair's egroup.

Takes: Around 2 hours a week (as 2x 1hr email checking) plus extra every two months to organise and attend a branch meeting.

Interested?: Please contact: chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1) 

Membership Co-ordinator

The North West London branch has over 500 members. This is a key branch team role, and is necessary for the branch to function properly.

Involves: Welcoming new members, encouraging NCT involvement membership (including renewals), keeping in touch with members. The membership co-ordinator is on the branch team and so must attend most branch meetings.

Takes: 1-2 hours a month, mainly checking and sending emails. Attending one branch meeting every two months,

Interested? Please contact chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1) 

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 500 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). Please state that it is the North West London newsletter you are interested in.

 Newsletter Team (Advertising)

The branch newsletter is published three times a year, in Februrary, May and September/October. It has a print-run of over 500 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: Sell advertising space in the newsletter, aiming to cover all printing costs. Liaise with the Hampstead and Camden newsletter team to work together when approaching some local businesses.

Takes: 4-6 weeks before each newsletter. 

Interested? Please contact newsletternctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 3). Please state that it is the North West London newsletter you are interested in.

Nearly New Sales Team

 The Branch aims to hold two Nearly New Sales a year. The sales are a great place to buy and sell your baby and toddler clothes, toys and equipment. Everything is displayed by type and age with all the clothes on rails, so it is much more than a jumble sale. The NCT takes a commission from each sale and the sales represent the main source of fundraising for the branch.

Involves: Booking the venue, registering sellers,answering email/phone enquiries, ordering some supplies, booking advertisers for the goody bags, publicising the sale, liaising with the sale sponsors, sorting rails for the day, arranging a tea & coffee stand, arranging for surplus clothing to go to charity/women's refuges after the sale. The role can be taken on by one person (with a lot of time to give!) but is best shared between two - three volunteers. There are full guidelines to running a sale from previous co-ordinators, and support within the NCT too.

Takes: 2-3 months of planning, two times a year. 2 hours a week, building to more in the weeks before a sale.  

Interested?: Please contact: chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk or call 0844 243 6229 (option 1) 

Postnatal Support Co-ordinators

• 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)

Bumps and Babies Hosts

There are currently Bumps and Babies groups for pregnant women and parents with babies up to crawling age,  in NW2, NW3, NW4, NW6 and NW10. 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 Anna chairnctnw@yahoo.co.uk 

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
•  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).