25 years of making a difference in the lives
of people seeking sanctuary in North East England
Launched in 1999 the West End Refugee Service has been on a mission to support North East's refugees for a solid 25 years. Alongside our essential support work services we have always strived to offer a full range of programmes. From guiding newcomers through the ins and outs of Newcastle life with our "New to Newcastle" project, to boosting job market readiness with Skillsmatch, and tending to mental and physical well-being through our activity programs, we're all about ensuring sanctuary seekers have everything they need. With past hits like the befriending program, the clothes shop, and special family groups, we're always cooking up fresh ideas to lend a hand and bridge any gaps in the local refugee community, with a little help from our trusty advisory panel.
Since 1999, we have:
Helped over 10,000 people seeking sanctuary
Supported individuals from more than 60 different countries
Handed out over 80,000 food parcels
Worked with over 50 local organisations to provide volunteer placements
Distributed over £1,000,000 via our Hardship Fund
Handed out 1000’s of Christmas shoe box gifts to our clients
Offered more than 100,000 hours of one to one support
But this isn’t enough. In the future we plan to relaunch our befriending scheme, offer more localised health drop ins, expand our activities programmes and continue to support our clients with their everyday needs. Everyone deserves to have their basic needs provided for no matter what their status.
We hope that in the next 25 years there will no longer be a need for our services,
yet if needed, we'll be stronger
Right now the need for our services is more urgent than ever due to the cost of living crisis and current government policies. Please help us continue our work however you can.
£5 could helps us to pay for a bus ticket to an essential appointment with Home Office for our service-user
£20 could provide an hour of one-to-one support for someone who has fled their homecountry because of war
£43 could provide a homemade, delicious meal for 40 people seeking asylum during our Weekly Welcomes
£78 could provide 45 minutes of vital translation services to help individual to access specialised services
£183 could provide one displaced person with 6 weeks of Skillsmatch training
What can I do?
Join Our Challenge:25Things Fundraiser!
Challenge yourself to do 25 things this summer as you raise money to support WERS mission. What will you do? Run 2.5 miles 25 days in a row, bake 25 cakes to share with friends, learn how to say hello in 25 different languages? The possibilities are endless and the money you raise will make a huge difference to the lives of people seeking sanctuary in the North East.
Host An Event
Does your community group want to host a coffee morning, bingo night, concert or another event to help us reach our fundraising target? You can fill out the form below or reach out to alison@wers.org.uk for more information.
Become A Corporate Sponsor
We are looking for 25 companies to sponsor us for our 25 years of service. There are three different levels of sponsorship and each one is gratefully received. If your business is looking to spread some love throughout the local community click below to find out more
Sponsor A Sunflower!
For £25 you can sponsor a wooden sunflower to decorate the WERS garden! Volunteers will hand paint your flower, write your name in the middle and hang it some where in our garden for all to admire!
Donate!
Direct donations are always an excellent and direct way to support our services. All donations are appreciated no matter how big or small
Thank you to our corporate sponsors for making our work possible:
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Our Community Partners So Far
Hexham Abbey
Newcastle University Amnesty International Society
A Community Event TBA
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School
Refugee Week Activities- June
Jamnesty!