“I honestly feel like I benefited the most” 

Kirsten’s Community Sponsorship group is based in North Devon. Here, she reflects on her group’s journey and what she gained along the way.

How did you first get involved in Community Sponsorship?

The Pickwell Foundation is not far from where I live, and they came onto my radar. I found out about their Community Sponsorship programme and I just thought that would be a worthwhile thing to do. Doing something meaningful for someone else just appealed. So, I spoke to them and they explained that you have to set up a group. I went back to work and asked my best friend if he fancied doing it and he was like, yeah, why not, we’ll give it a go. We asked some people we thought might be interested in being involved and were surprised that some of them had been in other Community Sponsorship groups before.  The group came together quickly. It’s not a big group, just a core group of eight of us. But we all clicked straight away, and we’ve been together ever since. We’re all very good friends now.

How did you approach fundraising in a small rural community and how did people respond?

When it came to fundraising, we tried to do things that were not just about our project but genuinely good for the whole community too. We put on a fete, where we paid to hire a venue, organised everything and then gave free space to every other community group in the area, so they could also raise money and awareness for their own causes. We put on film nights and other events in places that wouldn’t otherwise have that as an activity. We sold some of our own things at the local flea market, we even did some carol singing!

We’re a quiet bunch, and we did things in our own quiet way but I think the response to the fundraising was positive, largely because everyone got something out of it.

Also, with a project like this, you have to be mindful to balance raising money and spreading awareness of what you’re doing while protecting the anonymity of the family you will eventually welcome. That can be difficult.

How did the wider community respond to your group’s efforts?

Lots of people were really supportive. But I’d be lying if I said that everyone was onboard. There were a few people who were concerned. And I think that’s fair enough. Particularly now, the newspapers, TV, radio, are churning out a lot of negative and inflammatory stories about refugees and migrants. I understand that some people hear that and develop a sense of mistrust or fear. I don’t think people who have a different view to me are bad at all. In fact, they’re often compassionate people who care about their communities and do a lot of great work themselves. I just think they are working with a different set of information. I can hear the stuff on the news and feel confident that it’s not representative of refugees and migrants at all because the refugees I know are among the nicest, most respectful and peaceful people I have ever met. But no one has ever sold a newspaper full of peace, respect and friendship, have they?

Tell me about the moment you first met the family.

I met the family at their house the day after they arrived. I was actually really nervous. I kept thinking – what if we don’t get on? If we don’t like each other, it will be a disaster! But honestly, you could tell straight away that they were lovely people so I needn’t have worried. And in truth I think they were just as nervous as me.

During that first meeting I remember saying that the months ahead would be tough with lots of hard work needed from both. They just said, “no problem, whatever we need to do, we will do it.” Six months on, I can say they were absolutely true to their word. Their commitment to settling in the UK has been heroic. They have put their all into their new life and it’s been humbling to watch.

How are they doing now?

Amazingly well—I would never have imagined it would go like this! It’s a small family: a father and his son. Dad is of retirement age, and is a real treasure.  He has a wicked sense of humour and is a true gent. In the past he was very well traveled so he already knew some English when he arrived.  He is very hospitable and has made friends and settled in really well. He’s also a very industrious businessman so I can imagine him setting up some sort of enterprise in the future.

His son is also doing a great job, and, like his dad, he puts forward a really powerful alternative to the negative image you sometimes see in the media. From day one, he’s thrown himself into life in the UK. Whatever the task, he has done it wholeheartedly. After only five days in the UK he started volunteering three days a week for the charity I work for. I don’t think he’d even got over the jet lag. He was with us for about four months, practising his English with everyone the whole time. As soon as his language was good enough, he went and got himself a full-time job. We couldn’t believe it!  We were all so impressed. It’s a tough job with long hours and it’s a big undertaking so early in resettlement. But he was adamant that he was going to do it and, power to him, he’s now fully employed, pays his own rent and taxes and seems oddly jolly about ponying up for the council tax. When I look at that, at what he achieved in sixteen weeks, I think: he’s an excellent ambassador, isn’t he? They both are.

What have you learned from them?

I have this conversation with myself all the time. When you start out, it’s framed like you’re doing something for the sake of someone else—our group are the ones giving something. But the reality is, I honestly feel like I’m the one who has benefited the most from all of this. I didn’t know anyone from their culture or background before this and it’s been a real pleasure to learn more about it in this first-hand kind of way. I feel like I understand things better. And I often think to myself, that’s really interesting or lovely, the way they do that. I feel much better informed and I appreciate the education.

Has the experience shifted anything for people in the wider community who were initially unsure?

I’m sure it has.  I think a lot of the time that sense of being unsure or worried comes from a fear of the unknown. If you get the opportunity to get to know a person a bit, most of the time you can come to the conclusion that they are just like me really. Everyone’s just here, and that’s fine and we can be friends, colleagues, and neighbours without any issues. I’m sure that if there were people who were unsure before, they would be much more at ease now, having met the family. They are very easy to like.

What has surprised you most about the whole experience?

It’s a two parter. First, I found a real community when I started doing this. I loved being in our group over those two years. Doing things that were sometimes outside our comfort zones, relying on each other. You build a real bond through that. I was taken aback by how much the group came to mean to me and what we achieved together.  And then when the family arrived, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the things we didn’t have in common. It’s a bit like going on holiday and discovering things you didn’t know you’d love. I was surprised that after initially worrying that we wouldn’t have anything in common, it was our differences I was glad of the most.