Stories tagged Community
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“Becoming a Lead Sponsor was a logical next step in terms of scaling up our impact”
Caritas Salford works as a Lead Sponsor for groups across the North West, mainly within two dioceses: Salford and Lancaster. To date, Caritas Salford has welcomed eleven families with the help of eleven groups. Anais Fahd, Community Sponsorship Development Coordinator, Caritas Salford, tells their story.
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“I'm so proud of the communities across Devon that have come together to welcome refugees”
So far 8 families have been welcomed to Devon since Community Sponsorship began in the UK. Here the Resettlement Coordinator at Devon County Council, Stephen Matthewman, shares their experiences of working with Community Sponsorship groups reflects on the benefits that welcoming refugees has had on Devon communities.
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“Well, now you have sons”
Community Sponsorship volunteer Svenja Powell is one of the founding members of Canterbury Welcomes Refugees. The group first welcomed a Syrian refugee family in 2019: a mother and father, their two grown-up sons and their two primary-age children. Here Svenja tells us about lifting language barriers, a cautious introduction to Father Christmas and doorstep story-telling during lockdown.
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“You're hoping to catch new people and inspire somebody to start another group in another locality”
Catherine’s Community Sponsorship Group, Croeso Menai, welcomed a refugee family to North Wales in February 2021 and is already preparing for a second family. The community there have been very supportive in helping Croeso Menai to smash fundraising targets and fully furnish a home for the family. Catherine shares her top tips on keeping your community engaged and enthusiastic.
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“As Lead Sponsors we strengthen the bonds that tie us together by supporting groups to welcome refugees”
The Pickwell Foundation is a grant making charity based in North Devon. Two families set up the foundation in 2012. It gives small to medium sized grants, by invitation, to charities that are working either with displaced people or in the area of climate change. A central part of its work is as a Lead Sponsor for community sponsorship groups in the North Devon area. Susannah Baker from the foundation tells their story.
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“As the Lead Sponsor we are like the trunk of a tree and each group we support is like one of the tree’s branches”
Tyneside Welcomes started out as a small group of volunteers with no single political or faith-based affiliation. As a group they resettled one Syrian refugee family in their neighbourhood and set up as a Lead Sponsor so that they can work with a broader network of people across Tyneside to resettle other refugee families. Members Richard Young and Lindsay Brigham tell their Lead Sponsor story.
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“By the time we got home, messages of support were waiting in our inboxes.”
Kirkby Stephen – or ‘Kirkby’ as it’s known by the locals – is a small, thriving market town on the edge of the Cumbrian Dales. Retired teacher Mike has lived and worked here for 36 years. An outdoors enthusiast who has white-water kayaked all over the world, Mike is currently taking on a new challenge: setting up a Community Sponsorship project. We spoke to Mike about how he and his team have got the whole town on board.
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“I felt like I had someone from my family with me that day.”
Rashed, Amira and their three daughters arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2019. The warm welcome they received from the Small World Community Sponsorship Group and their neighbours has developed into real friendships that have supported them through the pandemic and the arrival of a fourth daughter.
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“I really believe that Community Sponsorship has changed the course of my life.”
Sam, a refugee from Syria, arrived in the UK in 2017 through the Community Sponsorship scheme. In this blog he shares his Community Sponsorship story – from being welcomed to the UK to preparing to welcome a new family as a volunteer himself.
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“I think there’s a lot of good in people and Community Sponsorship is a real opportunity to bring it out.”
Former head teacher Ellie Stacey is one of our pioneering Community Sponsors, having played a key role in building groups in Bude and Falmouth. Here Ellie tells us how volunteering helped her embrace retirement - and how inspired she feels by the power and potential of Community Sponsorship.
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“It feels like my life has started again”
Rana is a single mother to two girls. They fled Syria after her daughter’s school was bombed. Two years ago, she was resettled in Liverpool through Community Sponsorship. Here she tells us about the kindness of the people in Liverpool and her ambitions to become a nurse.
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“It was the first time we ever saw something like this.”
Amira, Rashed and their three daughters arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2019, where they were welcomed by the Small World Community Sponsorship group. With Christmas just a couple of weeks away we thought we would talk to Amira about her first Christmas in the UK. She shares her surprise at her daughters’ star turns and why she thinks getting involved in each other’s festivities is so important.
Films
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"If you want to make a change, then you can"
We spoke to Kate from Herne Hill Welcomes Refugees, and she told us about the impact her local Community Sponsorship group has had on her sense of community and encourages others to get involved!
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“It has brought us closer together.”
Iman Khan from Kettering Refugee Assistance tells us about why he got involved in Community Sponsorship and the impact that it's had on his community.
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“They push me so I can stand without help”
In 2017, Syrian refugees Hani, Amneh and their two children were welcomed to a new life in Ottery St Mary, Devon, thanks to Abide, a Community Sponsor group in Devon.
In the media
More media coverage-
March 15th, 2022
How you can help volunteers settle a refugee family in Manchester
South Manchester Sanctuary have come together to support the resettlement of a refugee family to the city and are looking for public support to help make it happen.
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January 28th, 2022
Appeal launches to help resettle refugee family in Kirkby Stephen
Volunteers from the Kirkby Stephen Resettlement Group explain why they have set up a Community Sponsorship group in the Cumbrian town.
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September 9th, 2021
The nurses, teachers and volunteers in East Lothian coming together to welcome refugees
Seven Scots have set up a Community Sponsorship group to offer a warm welcome to a refugee family.
