Now I realised the real greatness of community groups.
Khalid, his wife and their four children settled in Cardiff in 2019. Before his first Ramadan in the UK, Khalid was worrying about what to expect. Here he explains how the experience was actually a breakthrough moment for him in feeling welcomed and supported.
Our duty to our neighbours beyond the UK will still exist when we emerge from this pandemic.
ackie McLoughlin, founder of the Sutton Deanery Community Sponsorship Group, was awarded Maundy Money in an 800-year-old tradition which sees people doing outstanding work in their communities recognised by the reigning monarch on Maundy Thursday. Jackie tells us what Community Sponsorship means to her and why she believes that more people should be sponsoring refugees.
School in the UK is completely different!
Nour was a teenager when he was resettled in the UK with his family. He spoke to us about learning English, discovering big differences between school in the UK and in Jordan, and making plans for the future.
They have been with us every step of the way
Ghazala was resettled in London with her husband and their two daughters. She told us how her Community Sponsors have supported her during her first 6 months in the UK, and how she’s giving back to the community.
They’re amazing people and I’m really, really pleased they’re in our lives
Maria and Mike Roe from Dorset knew they had to do something to help people from Ukraine. By sharing their home with Olha and her daughter Olena, they’ve learned more than they ever imagined.
They’re like another family now
Ali is a Palestinian refugee who was born and raised in Lebanon. A trained nurse, he’s come to the UK to work for the NHS. Ali was welcomed to his new home in Doncaster by a group of local people as part of the Neighbours for Newcomers programme for refugee nurses. Here Ali tells us what this opportunity means to him, how his new neighbours have welcomed him, and how he’s learning the Yorkshire accent.
We felt safe
When asked how he and wife Amira felt when they arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2019, Rashed simply says: “We felt safe.” The couple and their daughters were welcomed to Whitehead by the Small World Community Sponsorship Group. Here they share their memories of the first few days.
It’s really special knowing that hundreds of people in Ripon have donated so that a refugee family can find safety here
We tried to make the house into a home
When I needed help, there were people to help me
