The fantastic BWR Jumble Sale is on again this Saturday 2nd March. Please come along, find a bargain and contribute to a fantastic cause!

We’re pleased to invite you to join us on Saturday, 14 October for a fantastic Syrian Feast and Auction!
A night of delicious and authentic Syrian food cooked by local chefs, plus an auction and raffle of great items donated by local businesses (see Auction List below).
Find more details on the attached flyer and Buy your Tickets on Eventbrite 

IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO BE AT THE AUCTION BUT WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT
BWR AND MAKE A BID FOR ANY OF THE ITEMS ABOVE YOU MAY DO SO BY
SUBMITTING AN ONLINE BID:

Please email: [email protected]

By NOON on Friday 13th October 2023

You will be notified on 15th October if yours is the successful bid.

Include:

• your name and contact phone number
• The lot number and description
• Your maximum bid value £

We would like to invite you to Bath Welcomes Refugees’ Supporters evening on Thursday 21^st September from 7pm-8pm, at The Bubble, St John’s Foundation, 4-5 Chapel Court, Bath, BA1 1SQ.

This is your chance to hear about all the amazing work BWR has been up to over the past year. We will share updates on the charity and highlights from our volunteer teams supporting refugees of different nationalities in Bath and the surrounding area.

Two recent arrivals in the UK will also share their experiences of settling in Bath and volunteering with BWR to help their local communities.

The speakers will be:

• Charlotte MacDiarmid, Chair of the Trustee Board
• Sara Barna, Chair of the Management Committee
• Kurda Yar, BWR Operations Officer
• Mir Miri, volunteer coordinator for Afghans
• Vira Navalihina, volunteer coordinator for Ukrainians

Light refreshments will be provided.

The supporters evening will be followed by the AGM from 8pm-8.30pm.

We look forward to seeing many of you there!

Due to the wet weather forecast it has been decided to cancel the picnic.

Saturday 22nd July 2023
From 12 -2 PM
Royal Victoria Park (BA1 2NQ) – above the duck pond area

Please bring your food, drinks and something to sit on
Looking forward to seeing you all
Please note children should always be under the supervision
of their parents and guardians. Thank you.

In celebration of the start of Refugee Week we’re doing a “Great Walk Together“

10:00am, Sunday, 18 June 2023 

Where:  Lansdown Park and Ride, BA1 9BJ  A five-and-a-half-mile circular walk from Lansdown, with spectacular views of Bath and towards the Severn Estuary. The walk takes about three hours.

Why: Walking together is one of Refugee Week’s Simple Acts; an opportunity to extend our hands to someone new and to reflect on our different journeys to Bath. 

How to get there: Take the Park and Ride bus at 9:45am from Milsom St, opposite Jollys, or drive to Lansdown Park and Ride (and remember to pay for parking) 

Practical stuff: Wear sensible footwear, sunscreen and bring water and as many snacks as you will need to keep you going. Well behaved dogs on leads are also welcome.

Important stuff!:  Please let us know you’re coming Click here to RSVP  so we know how many will attend.  We can then send you some more details about the route we will take. 

We hope you can come and look forward to hearing from you!

The fantastic BWR Boutique Jumble is back. We’d love for you to come along, find a bargain and contribute to a fantastic cause.

We’re also still looking for more donations of pre-loved women’s clothes and accessories. Full details, to both donate and join us on the day, are as follows:

Wednesday 10th May 2023
8:30am-7pm

137 Bradford Road

Bath

BA2 5BS

You can also deliver donations of pre-loved women’s clothes and accessories to this same address, any time from now until 9th May: There is a fully enclosed porch where you can safely leave them

For more information:

Email or call Amanda: [email protected], 07805 459760

Or email: [email protected] or [email protected]

This is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers living in Bath.

The charity is at an exciting stage of its development. If you are passionate about welcoming people seeking safety in the UK and have lived experience as a refugee or asylum seeker or experience in fundraising, comms, IT or charity governance and management, we’d love to hear from you! We are looking to recruit Trustees with the skills, experience, energy and time to commit to our vital work.

What will you be doing?

Our Board is responsible for the governance of Bath Welcomes Refugees. The Board does not directly manage the day-to-day work, but provides oversight, shaping organisational strategy and supporting our staff and volunteers. We are more hands-on than most charity boards. Please see the attached role descriptions for full details. Specific activities will include monthly trustee meetings, biannual meetings with the Management Committee, the Annual General Meeting, and ad hoc attendance at fundraising/promotional events. As a small charity, there will be times when the trustees will need to be actively involved beyond Board meetings.

What difference will you make?

Bath Welcomes Refugees is a small, dynamic local organisation that continues to grow and develop. Particularly in the last year, the scope and volume of our work has expanded considerably and we have taken on our first paid staff members. The new trustee(s) will support us to ensure we have a strong strategy and robust governance to continue to grow and develop to meet our mission. Trustees will bring crucial insights and guidance from their own backgrounds, as we continue to refine our strategy, strengthen our structure and fundraising, and manage risk. This is your opportunity to be part of a respectful, inclusive and friendly team, and make a difference in the lives of people living in your local area.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for people willing to bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the role, and who will broaden the diversity of thinking on our board.

Please see the attached role descriptions for full details

We are particularly looking for people with experience in the following:
• Financial management, income generation and enterprise
• Experience of the UK charity sector, especially management and/or governance
• Fundraising
• Communications, public relations and social media
• IT and data security
• Lived experience as a refugee or asylum seeker

What we can offer you

• Experience of strategy and leadership in the charity sector, supporting your professional development and boosting your CV
• The opportunity to be part of a friendly passionate team, applying your unique skills and experience while learning from others
• Access to training, on charity governance, safeguarding, refugee welfare and rights, and other relevant topics
• Reimbursement of reasonable expenses

How to apply

If you would like an informal chat about the role, we can arrange an informal chat with one of our Trustees.
Please send your CV with a one-page covering letter to
[email protected] by 19th March 2023.
We welcome applications from people with characteristics that are often underrepresented on charity boards, including disabled people, women, people of colour, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and young people.
If you are passionate about welcoming refugees and asylum seekers and want to be involved in growing a small charity, we welcome your application. If you don’t meet the above criteria, but still want to be a trustee or get involved in another capacity, we would still love to hear from you.

BWR are recruiting for a Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Coordinator. Please find attached the job description for this paid role along with information on BWR activities. The closing date for applications is 14 December 2022 – please do share with anyone you think may be suitable for the position and email [email protected] if you have any questions.

One of the people we support, Mr Mir Abdullah, has produced two podcasts which he would like to share. One is about the death of his cousin while trying to escape and the other is about his own journey. They are very powerful and moving personal accounts which demonstrate the desperation of people seeking safety and the dangers and difficulties they face along the way

Migration is a difficult decision. Many uncertainties await the traveller. The journey becomes even harder when you start from a war-torn country like Afghanistan, at a moment when power is shifting, when many people are terrified and running for the exits.

Becoming a refugee doesn’t get easier every time you are displaced. Like our parents before us, we’ve had to start from scratch. The past year has been filled with the logistics of survival: Where would we live? How would we provide for ourselves and our families? How would we get our stranded relatives to safety, reunite our families, and create new lives in languages we didn’t speak?

https://theintercept.com/2022/09/14/no-way-home-podcast-desert-death/
http://freshedpodcast.com/miri/

Update: Ukrainians in Bath

BWR is working closely with BANES council to support Ukrainian arrivals, hosts and relatives. There are currently over 60 Bath families hosting over 100 Ukrainians in Bath with more to arrive.

With the help of our brilliant teaching team, we have expanded our English Language provision and are now hosting three separate classes each week.

We have created a bank of befriending and resettlement volunteers ready to support Ukrainians, with specific teams of trained benefits advisors with Russian and Ukrainian speakers.

We hosted our very first Welcome and Social Event for Ukrainians and hosts on the 26th of May to bring the community together. We also have two Facebook pages for hosts and Ukrainians in Bath where they can connect and share advice and resources. If you are supporting a Ukrainian family and would like additional advice or resources, or to join our Facebook page, please email Issy – [email protected].

New Volunteers & Volunteer Coordinator

The work of BWR has expanded considerably over the last year and there have been a number of recent changes, which reflect this. Issy Warren, who has been our volunteer co-ordinator, has taken up a 6 month post with us co-ordinating support for the Ukrainian refugees in particular. We are pleased to welcome Ruth Todd who in turn has been appointed for 6 months to the volunteer co-ordinator post. We are also very glad to welcome new volunteers to the following roles:

• Kelsey Hoppe, who is co-ordinating our team of volunteer interpreters
• James Eatwell, who is co-ordinating social activities for asylum seekers and refugees
• Kate MacDonald, providing admin support
• Roxanne Fisher, our new membership secretary (many thanks to our previous membership secretary, Lydia, for all her work in the role)

It’s time to Bike Walk Run for BWR

This year, Refugee Week is the 20th-26th of June. Want to raise money for Bath Welcomes Refugees while enjoying some exercise?

It’s easy, and open to ALL ages, ALL abilities, ANYWHERE in the world!

How does it work?

• Set your own goal
• Collect sponsorships
• Link to our Local Giving Page (click here)
• Record your Achievement
• Take and send us your selfie at [email protected]
• Join our BWR Hall of Fame!

Jumble Sale! Can you help?

Just a few short weeks before the next Bath Welcomes Refugees JUMBLE SALE!

Amanda would love your help sorting donations and helping on the day. Please get in touch with her by email or on the phone number above.

Nominate BWR on Movement for Good

If you have 2 minutes to spare now, please nominate BWR on the Movement for Good website.

It works like a lottery. The more nominations we have the more chance we have of winning £1000 from their fund for good causes.

It’s very easy to do. The next draw is in June but your nomination will remain valid for future draws. Just follow the link below and feel free to pass it on to your friends and family.

Nominate a charity: MOVEMENT FOR GOOD

Meet RUTH. New volunteer coordinator

Hi everyone! I’m Ruth, trying to step into the very large shoes that Issy has left for me to fill as the new contact for volunteers – incoming and current. You can reach me on [email protected].

I’ve worked for many years for B&NES Children’s and Adult Services and feel privileged to be working now with people freely giving their time and energy to Bath’s refugees and asylum seekers. I hope to begin meeting you all at events and socials in the coming weeks and months.