As we move into August, the plight of asylum seekers is still very much in the news, both the problems of those seeking sanctuary by making dangerous crossings on boats and the more positive news that the UK is to start processing Syrian asylum claims once again, more than seven months after decisions were paused following the fall of the Assad regime.
The project has been particularly busy in recent weeks, with over 500 individual clients and families using our services. There were 63 new registrations in June, with many clients from Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Kuwait, Eritrea, Syria and Yemen. Your continued donations of food, toiletries and finance are needed more than ever and we really appreciate all your donations. A big thank you to the Emmaus Youth Village and St Patrick’s in Ryhope for their recent generous donations.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have recently started developing a digital immigration system. This means they are replacing physical documents with an online record of immigration status. This is known as an eVisa. Biometric residence permits (BRPs) which clients receive when they are granted leave to remain have been replaced by eVisas. We are pleased that a representative from Migrant Help has offered to come into the project on Wednesdays to assist any client with leave to remain who needs support with this move to the digital visa.
The Refugee Project is always pleased to connect with local schools. Very positive feedback was received from school staff following recent presentations at a School Leadership Conference by our Project Co-ordinator, Azad, and some volunteers. So far, six schools have expressed an interest to visit the project in the Autumn term.
We are grateful to the parishioners of St John of Beverley’s Church, in Haydon Bridge, who have once again approached the project to organise an Away Day in their church hall & grounds at the end of August for a group of our clients, predominantly families with children. Clients will spend the day in the grounds, be offered lunch and provided with activities. We are very grateful to the parishioners for organising these activities and providing our clients with the opportunity to have a break from the pressures of their daily lives.
We are very pleased to report that one of our clients has stepped in to replace our barber, who had to step down due to medical problems. Clients are very happy to be able to get a free haircut and the barber is always very busy!
We continue to rely on the generosity of individuals and parishes for donations for which we are incredibly grateful. Items most urgently needed can be found here. We receive donations of food on Mondays between 10.30am and 1.30pm. Please remember that the project will not be open on Monday, 25th August as this is a bank holiday.
We are thankful for and continue to rely on your generous financial support for our work. Details of our bank account (DHN Justice & Peace Refugee Project) can be found on our webpage. Please consider Gift-Aiding – a Gift Aid Declaration form is available here
For more details about our work and how you can assist, please contact our Project Co-ordinator at jp.refugeeproject@diocesehn.org.uk or visit our webpage.