IT MAY only be July but an East End charity which provides breakfast and hot showers for the homeless is looking for teams for just three days to help over the festive season. However the slots which need filling by teams of volunteers are Christmas Day,

IT MAY only be July but an East End charity which provides breakfast and hot showers for the homeless is looking for teams for just three days to help over the festive season.

However the slots which need filling by teams of volunteers are Christmas Day, New Year's Day and January 3.

The Whitechapel Mission recruits groups of four to six people per day to help cook up a traditional fry up and hand out clothing and toiletries to the homeless people who pop into its centre for a hot meal and a shower.

Banks, law firms and church groups help staff the roster and the centre in Whitechapel Road need three more groups to dish up festive cheer. They need to be available from 5.45am to 11.30am and help out cooking, cleaning up afterwards and mopping up the showers.

Meanwhile supporters are pounding the city streets in this Sunday's London 10k run. Already sponsors have pledged more than �16,000 to 127 runners who are raising cash for the mission.

There may be a few more running slots available. Contact Jenny on 020 7247 8280 for more details.

Further information about volunteering opportunities are available at www.whitechapel.org.uk/christmas.php