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My name is Asia. I’m based in Glasgow,and I’m connected with the Refugee Sponsorship Ibrox, which has been around since 2021. I got involved just a few months after the group formed and joined at the fundraising stage.

After a long career in early years education and family support, Carol was ready to make the most of her retirement. Then, very suddenly, her husband Mike became unwell. He was diagnosed with cancer and passed away just six months later. Here Carol shares her memories of that difficult time and describes how volunteering with her local Community Sponsorship group gave her life a new purpose.

Rana is a single mother to two girls. They fled Syria after her daughter’s school was bombed. Two years ago, she was resettled in Liverpool through Community Sponsorship. Here she tells us about the kindness of the people in Liverpool and her ambitions to become a nurse.

Mamoun was resettled in Devon with his wife Amneh and their 5 children after fleeing Syria. He explains the impact that resettlement has had on his family and the joy of reuniting with his brother.

Kirkby Stephen – or ‘Kirkby’ as it’s known by the locals – is a small, thriving market town on the edge of the Cumbrian Dales. Retired teacher Mike has lived and worked here for 36 years. An outdoors enthusiast who has white-water kayaked all over the world, Mike is currently taking on a new challenge: setting up a Community Sponsorship project. We spoke to Mike about how he and his team have got the whole town on board.

Aged just 21, Mohammad has moved from Lebanon to work for the NHS. When he first arrived in the UK, he wasn’t sure how Reset’s Neighbours for Newcomers volunteers would be able to support him. But then he turned to them in a moment of crisis.

Amira, Rashed and their three daughters arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2019, where they were welcomed by the Small World Community Sponsorship group. With Christmas just a couple of weeks away we thought we would talk to Amira about her first Christmas in the UK. She shares her surprise at her daughters’ star turns and why she thinks getting involved in each other’s festivities is so important.

Sofia Gamio is a junior doctor working at the James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough. In the little spare time she has, Sofia is preparing to welcome refugee families to Newcastle with her Community Sponsorship group, Tyneside Welcomes. Ahead of International Migrants Day, we chatted to Sofia about where her motivation for supporting refugees comes from, and how she got involved in Community Sponsorship.

Global Gathering for Sponsorship 2023