We need more volunteer support. We’d love for you to give the roles a read and pass them onto friends, family or colleagues who might be interested in supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Bath.

DIY and Donations Coordinators

Our House Prep, DIY and Donations Team is looking to expand! We are looking for volunteers to support with coordination for this growing team. You will be working collaboratively alongside our existing team, but we have called it a ‘coordinator’ because we will want you to get actively involved in organising and behind the scenes work.

We are looking to take on at least two new volunteers, one to be more involved in coordinating DIY work, and the other for Donations work.

Our ideal coordinator would:

-Be flexible to volunteer during traditional office hours
-Be strong and active (think carrying furniture upstairs)
-Have some basic DIY skills (DIY role only)
-Have access to a van for transporting furniture (not essential)
-Have basic IT skills to create an inventory (donations role only)

Even if this only partly sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you and see if you can get involved.

Befriending and Resettlement Volunteers

Our Befriending and Resettlement team do a huge range of volunteering work for us and the refugee community, from local orientation, to applying for benefits. At the moment, there is a particular need for befrienders who would be happy to support people through writing CVs and applying for work.

We are also looking for befrienders who are based in the Somer Valley or Chew Valley and who would be happy to give lifts.

Pashto Speakers

Finally, we’re looking for anyone who speaks Pashto to support us in our work with the Afghan community. You could use your language skills to act as a volunteer interpreter or a befriender with a Pashto speaking family.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please email [email protected] to request a volunteer application form.

Host Family/Lodger Need

Is there anyone looking to take on a lodger or live-in tenant this year? We are supporting a refugee student who is moving to Bath in September and would prefer to stay with a family. Please note this is not an official BWR hosting scheme and would be a private rental arrangement between you and the student. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested.

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 a Chair of Trustees and at least one other Trustee 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

·       Legal background

·       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

Please send your CV with a one-page covering letter to [email protected] by Wednesday 27 July 2022. We aim to hold interviews in the week commencing 8^th August.

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.

For an informal chat about the roles, please get in touch with one of our Trustees, Charlotte MacDiarmid,  [email protected].

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.

We are holding a pub quiz fundraising event on Wednesday 25th May. See below for details:

We have created a list of helpful information and guidelines for people hosting Ukrainians and have set up a Facebook page for the host community in Bath to share information.

We have a public google drive which we are gradually adding more and more resources to, please click here to access this.

And the Facebook page for hosts is here

BWR is looking to recruit a part-time Volunteer Coordinator

You will work with our leadership team, providing some administrative support with an emphasis on the coordination of volunteers and the membership.

See the attached PDFs to find out more. 

We understand that the people of Bath are keen to get involved and help support those fleeing the war in Ukraine. As the Ukrainian refugees start arriving in our local community, BWR will be on hand to help support local sponsors with advice and guidance, and support the refugees they are housing with English lessons, employability and benefits advice and guidance on access to other services.  We can also help to source furniture, household goods and clothing, if needed, and put on social events too to help with community integration.

BWR is working closely with BANES council on how we can achieve this but we are currently advising those interested in sponsorship to head to the government’s Homes for Ukraine website: https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk. Before committing, it is important to think through what this will mean for you and your family and some FAQs can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/…/homes-for-ukraine-scheme.... The scheme went live on Friday 18th March, and is currently open to named sponsors who are matched with named refugees.

There are a number of charities that are helping with the matching process and we would encourage you to contact these organisations as this will provide the safest way to connect with those in need:   

• https://www.ukrainetakeshelter.com/
• https://www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk/
• https://www.refugeesathome.org/
• https://www.roomforrefugees.com/
• https://www.homesforukraine.org.uk/
• https://www.worldjewishrelief.org/homes-for-refugees

BWR is exploring ways of matching people on a more local basis, the situation is evolving rapidly and we will update on this when we have more information.