A volunteer group shares their journey of welcoming a family through Community Sponsorship.

“It just felt like something that would make a tangible and potentially profound difference to the life-prospects of the refugees and possibly (selfishly?!) that it might also be a positive thing for me”

Setting up a group and applying to the Home Office

The group started out with Tom, an events organiser and father of two, who came across a Guardian article about Community Sponsorship during lockdown. His idea quickly flourished as he got the word out in the community, interest grew, and his group became a team of ten. After familiarising themselves with the Community Sponsorship application process, they got to work promoting their project and raising the funds needed to support a refugee family. From setting up stalls at local markets and outdoor events, organising sponsored walks, hosting a jazz concert, to putting on a village ceilidh, the group went all in with their fundraising efforts and managed to raise the funds needed to partner with a Lead Sponsor and exceed their fundraising goals for their application.

The refugee family’s arrival

Once the group were matched to an appropriate family they felt they could support, four of the volunteers met the family for the first time at the airport. They travelled with the family back to their new home where other group members awaited with a hot meal and a full house of groceries. The family were delighted with their new home and were shown around with the interpreter.

In the first few weeks, it was evident the family were still exhausted and needed to get their bearings, so the group ensured to give them ample time to settle in and adjust before tackling the necessary admin tasks to get the family set up for their new life in the UK. This included applying for benefits, registering with a GP, registering for school, and applying for bank accounts.

Adjusting to life in the UK

They inevitably faced challenges during this period. Prior to settling in the UK, when the family members had worked, they had only ever been paid cash in hand, and always at the end of the workday. They had to learn to budget based on a monthly payment which proved difficult at first and the family sometimes found themselves with no money left in the week before their Universal Credit was due. In addition to these challenges, disasters taking place in their home country preoccupied the family, making it understandingly difficult to focus on establishing themselves in the UK.

Once enrolled in ESOL classes at the local college, the family’s confidence and independence grew. They were enthusiastic and very motivated to learn English. The younger family members managed to secure jobs which aided their integration. As time progressed, the group knew it was time to start stepping back and letting the family take control. The group and the family are still on their journey, but the volunteers have taken more of a back seat as the family becomes more independent and takes control of their own lives. The group has accepted that they “will now be led by [the family] about what help and support they need on their road to full independence.”