How can I/we help?

Whilst we love to be able to accept donations the fact is that many items are being brought new (such as mattresses, pillows, duvets etc). Adult women's clothes may be unsuitable in relation to traditional Afghan or Syrian dress so we generally don't want these items. We do need winter coats for both adult male and female as well as children's coats. We are always on the look out for baby & children under 5 clothes as many families are arriving with young children. We also need good quality second hand sofa's, coffee tables, chests of drawers and bed's (single, double of king-size). All furniture items must comply with the latest fire safety regulations. If you are an organisation who wants to raise money to buy items that is fantastic and if you contact us we can put you in touch with the people who are organising Organisation donations.

If you wish to offer support to a family there are a couple of hoops to jump through - we will need to meet you, get a DBS check done (this will cost you£10) - then we will put you in our pool of volunteers. It is worth remembering that families may not want our help or that you may not have the right skills or personality for a family. We work with the family to ensure we match the right person(s) to them and they are in control of that process. Volunteering will be a long term commitment and so if you want to chat it through before you make a decision then email us with a contact number and we will contact you.

This is great but as a group we cannot accept cash donations. That's ok though as we can make sure you give the money to the appropriate organisation who can use the money raised most effectively in supporting the families. Email us and tell us that is what you want to do and how much you are donating or going to raise. 

It is really important that organisations, businesses, faith groups and so on can do what they do best and we can help refugees access these services. We would like to produce a simple list of services that groups can offer and that refugees can access to add to our "Welcome pack". We would especially like to link refugees to Muslim groups, Mosques, Food outlets that specialise in Halal and Asian cuisine, clothing retailers who provide Asian clothing. Whilst the majority of refugees will be Muslim, some will not and so a range of other offers would be welcome.