Read the Latest News on Refugee Support HERE
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Previous Updates:
A Great day out at the Deer Shed Festival 
A big thank you to the Deer Shed Festival and the People and the Dales project of the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust for enabling 15 men seeking asylum from a hotel near Horsforth to enjoy a great British music festival in Thisk. The Deer Shed Festival provided free tickets to the People and the Dales project and they contacted our refugee support worker to find people to go. The men seeking asylum at the hotel jumped at a chance to leave the hotel and have some fun. They have none or as little as £8 a week to live on and have stayed at the hotel for months on end.
It was the first music festival experience for the group originally from Eritrea, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Chana, Albania. Afganistan and Turkey. They loved the variety of music, the fun activities and good food provided by People and the Dales. The day out lifted their spirits and did wonders for their mental health . One man said “Thank you so much. This activity good for wellbeing. I am a mathematics teacher. I like music, I likes chillout music. It’s close.”
A big shout out to Health for All for providing a mini bus at very short notice.
Recent Talk by Krish Kandiah regarding refugee response. Start 10mins in.
Ukraine Fundraiser CONCERT FOR UKRAINE
Sunday June 19th at 6pm.
Venue – Grove Methodist Church, Town Street, Horsforth, LS18 4RJ. FREE ADMISSION
Thank you so very much for those who were able to support our concert on Sunday evening, we were truly blessed with a superb concert by five fabulous musicians, together with a very near ‘full to capacity church’, notwithstanding some ‘magnificent and very generous’ donations from our audience of £2687.50.
ALL proceeds to the ‘Leeds Together For Ukraine’ Appeal…..
Our Lady of Kirsktall have set up a Support Group for refugees already living in Leeds and many local to Horsforth focusing on supporting 120 men in a hotel.
This includes training up volunteers to be part of a Conversation Club, a clothes collection, communicating with MP’s and involving others churches and being ready to support Ukrainian refugees when needed.
Refugee Update from the OLK Friends of Refugees Team regarding refugees in the Parkway Hotel
Thank you so much for all the wonderful baking that we received on Wednesday/Thursday at Holy Name Church Hall. The cakes were appreciated and enjoyed by all those who sat down to eat lunch together.
On Monday we waved goodbye to the first minibus of migrants being moved to Hull. A further 8 men went on Tuesday. On Wednesday the remaining migrants at the Parkway were told that they would be staying at the hotel until the end of September. As a result the mood of all the men has understandably improved.
12 migrants, together with volunteers, walked all the way to Holy Name Church Hall. A further migrant walked part way and then caught a bus into town to go to his English class!! He had intended to come out for his lunch but with the news he returned to his class! 18 of us then sat down to eat a cooked meal followed by fresh fruit and cakes.
The atmosphere was relaxed and happy with an element of cheerful bantering we had not observed before at the hotel. ‘I am from Chicago USA announced one man.
We had collected small bags and rucksacks to enable the Migrants to take their belongings to Hull. These were used by the men to hold the clothes that they chose from the donations. It was noticeable that they were working together rather than individually to select what they needed. ‘Will this fit you?’ ‘Do you like this?’ The jollity continued with one announcing that he was a ‘businessman’ as he sported a briefcase! At the end of the day one man said he felt that he had been on holiday!!!
The following day, 18 migrants made the journey through one of the hottest days of the year. They were accompanied again by volunteers including one migrant who had previously been housed at the Parkway and is now working at IKEA. Other volunteers from IKEA came with bottles of water, biscuits, crisps and pizza looking boxes containing new backpacks! 30 people sat down to enjoy the meal before choosing clothes and accessories. There was a tray which we labelled ‘health and wellbeing’ which besides toiletries also included pens, ring binders, a dictionary and three new bibles. Two of the bibles were chosen during this selection. On leaving the Church Hall one of the men said to us “You have made us very happy”. So thanks go to each of you who have supported us to achieve this.
A number of refugees from Ukraine are now arriving in Horsforth. There are a couple of What’s App groups emerging to try and network hosts and offer mutual support and also various efforts being made to ascertain what help is needed and will be needed. The is also a once a week evening event organised by one of the churches for Ukrainians to meet and support one another.
The Diocese of Leeds have produced a resource page with lots of helpful information on how to help including a toolkit document . Leeds Diocese Resource Page https://www.leeds.anglican.org/ukraine
The Methodist Church have also provided a toolkit for making a response https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/prayer/ukraine/
Network Leeds Website is the a very good source of local information we have at the moment summarising some of the conversations of how to help
Network Leeds : Ways to respond
Giving Financially : Though Cafod https://cafod.org.uk which does benefit from the DEC matching whatever you give
More information about the Governments disaster appeal .. Government Disaster Appeal
Understand more about Homes for Ukraine
You Tube Clip From Sanctuary Foundation on Homes for Ukraine
Guardian Article on hosting Ukrianians
Link to Radio 4 Program on hosting Ukrianian refugees
The Ukraine Centre
