|
Issue 42 July 2010
Welcome to the
July edition of the WERS newsletter!
Welcome Jo!
Jo Cottrell has
begun work as the new Volunteer Co-ordinator,
working alongside Carol to support WERS volunteers
and develop the service. Jo has previously worked
as a project worker for MIND and as a lecturer at
both Newcastle and Gateshead colleges, where she
worked with ESOL students and learners with
specific learning difficulties. Her volunteering
experience includes helping out on trips and
away-days at the Comfrey Project, the
allotment-based charity which promotes the health
and well-being of asylum seekers.
Funding
success
A three year grant
of £45,000 has been awarded by Esmee Fairbairn
Foundation to part-fund the two WERS management
posts. WERS is most grateful to the Foundation for
this generous support of its work.
Refugee Week
2010
Refugee Week 2010
was a success, with many events being held across
the city. On 16 June we were invited to take part
in the morning show on BBC Radio Newcastle. Two of
our clients, Dominique Essomba and Yunis Hasaballa,
agreed to go with me and both did a great job
responding to questions about their experiences as
refugees. The producer is now exploring the
possibility of a further piece with the two clients
as time was quite limited and there was much more
to be said! Later in the week there was a stall in
the City Library and the film Moving to Mars, which
follows the journeys of two families from Burma in
their resettlement from a Thai refugee camp to
Sheffield, was shown, followed by a question and
answer session where Ali responded to questions
from the general public.
Food
Collection
A big 'Thank you'
to all Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) and Newcastle
City Council staff who donated food and toiletries
during Refugee Week. The collection was organised
by the Asylum Seekers Unit at YHN. Thirteen large
boxes of food and toiletries with an estimated
value of £700 were shared between WERS and
Common Ground for distribution to destitute asylum
seekers. The photo shows Evelyne, WERS' clothing
store supervisor, and Sauda, a clothing store
volunteer, receiving the delivery of goods.
Donations such as
these play a vital role in the support of men and
women living without any statutory support.
During the last
12 months at WERS:
" 241 destitute men
and women have been supported at WERS with £10
emergency cash payments and food parcels.
" £57,598 was
given out in £10 weekly payments
" 4736 food parcels
have been given out - an average of 99 per
week
" £18,372 has
been spent from the hardship fund on food
purchase
Alnmouth Friary
- a weekend of peace and tranquillity
A small group of
WERS male clients, accompanied by David Goodacre,
the WERS counsellor and one of WERS' volunteer
befrienders, Alan Myers, recently spent an
enjoyable weekend at Alnmouth Friary where they
received a warm welcome from the Franciscan
brothers.
The weekend gave
time to talk, relax, walk on the beach and, of
course, watch the World Cup!
The format worked
well and feedback has been positive, with the
unanimous view that the weekend should be repeated.
The brothers'
simple way of life was of great interest to the
clients, although one client was uneasy about not
sharing in the chores of the house and said that
next time they should have the opportunity to help!
The weekend provided a welcome break from routine
for everyone in the beautiful surroundings of the
Friary and, for one client, 'the weekend was relief
and regain of hope for the future.'
Working with
Tyne and Wear Fire Service
Tyne and Wear Fire
Service approached WERS with the desire to make
fire safety checks more widely available to asylum
seeker and refugee households. Fire officers were
sometimes experiencing a reluctance on the part of
the asylum seekers and refugees to let them into
their homes to hear this important advice.
WERS staff and a
number of the volunteer befrienders attended two
training sessions and are now carrying out fire
safety checks in clients' flats and houses, showing
clients how to check their smoke alarms and fitting
smoke alarms where necessary. The smoke alarms are
free and have 10-year batteries. Advice is also
given if there are smokers in the property or if
clients are using chip pans or other pans for deep
fat frying. Any problems are then referred back to
the Fire Service along with the safety check
sheet.
A date for the
diary……..
WERS AGM 2010
This will
be held on Thursday 14 October at 7pm at Westgate
Baptist Church.
Lindsay
Cross
Office
Details
West End Refugee
Service St Philip's Vicarage, St Philip's Close,
Arthur's Hill, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5JE
Tel: 0191 273
7482
Fax: 0191 256
7862
Email:
wers@btinternet.com
Website:
www.wers.org.uk
Office &
Clothing Store Opening times: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri:
9.30am - 1pm; Wednesday: 11am - 1pm
| 
