OUR PEOPLE

Chief Executive
🗣️ Polish, English

Andy brings people and ideas together to help WERS reach more people, make a greater impact and turn what we see on the frontline into wider change. He has called the North East home since 2016, and before joining WERS built his career in the hospitality industry.

Activities and Volunteering Coordinator
🗣️ English

Faye coordinates cultural, sport and community activities that help people connect, take part and build a sense of belonging in the North East. She works with volunteers and community members to create welcoming opportunities shaped by the people who attend them.

Community Engagement Coordinator
🗣️ English, basic Arabic

Emma supports people to build skills, confidence and connections through SkillsMatch, volunteering and community opportunities across WERS. She helps people recognise what they already bring, explore new opportunities and feel more connected to life in the North East.

Fundraising Lead
🗣️ English

Shaunagh works with funders, donors and supporters to bring in the income WERS needs to keep services running and develop new work. She helps tell the story of WERS’ impact, building relationships that turn generosity and shared values into practical support for refugees and people seeking asylum.

Community Outreach Worker
🗣️ Arabic, English

Tarik leads WERS’ outreach work, supporting refugees and people seeking asylum from the moment they arrive in the area through to move-on support and settling into local life. He works with people in community settings, helping them access practical support, understand local services and find the right next step.

Chair of the Board
🗣️ English

John has spent much of his life in public service, ministry and community work. He joined WERS as a Trustee in 2022 and became Chair in 2025, helping to strengthen the charity’s governance, support a more diverse Board and keep WERS focused on practical support for people seeking sanctuary.

Vice-Chair of the Board
🗣️ English

Nadia has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years, with experience in fundraising, business development and social justice work in the UK and internationally. Her own family background, alongside her work with the Living Wage Foundation and Citizens UK, shapes her commitment to fairness, dignity and wider change.

Treasurer

Trustee
🗣️ Igbo, English, basic Korean

Dora has worked alongside people navigating housing, legal and immigration systems, including refugees, people seeking asylum and people facing homelessness. She supports WERS by bringing fresh thinking, legal awareness and a strong belief that people should be treated with dignity and given real chances to move forward.

Trustee
🗣️ Arabic, English

Ghada is a journalist, translator and community interpreter who has supported refugees and people seeking asylum through volunteering, English language support and interpreting. Her own experience of rebuilding life in the UK shapes her commitment to helping others feel informed, supported and understood.

Trustee
🗣️ English, Ga, Akan

Kingsley is an integrative therapist, clinical supervisor and mediator, and the founder of Marking Therapy. He is also a Psychology researcher at Durham University, with academic interests in LGBTQIA+ identities, HIV and mental health. He brings lived experience together with a therapist’s understanding of how deeply the asylum journey affects mental wellbeing and supports WERS because he believes refugees and people seeking sanctuary deserve safety, dignity, and the care needed to rebuild.

Trustee
🗣️ English, Krio

Morlai was previously a member of WERS’ Advisory Panel, bringing lived experience of the asylum system and a strong commitment to helping others. With a background in journalism and radio in Sierra Leone, he supports WERS because he believes everyone deserves the chance to grow, thrive and be met with kindness and opportunity.

Trustee
🗣️ English, basic French

Sally has spent much of her career working with local voluntary organisations and communities, including leading Connected Voice, alongside experience in the NHS, refugee support, women’s organisations, social justice and child poverty work. Her own family history of seeking safety from persecution shapes her support for WERS, and her belief that local experience can influence wider change.

Trustee
🗣️ Italian, English, Arabic, French, Spanish

Silvia is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Newcastle University, with extensive research experience in Palestinian refugee camps and reception centres in Italy. Her work is shaped by a strong commitment to global justice for refugees, and by an awareness of how unequal access to movement affects people’s lives.

Trustee
🗣️ English

Simon has long experience in business, governance and the voluntary sector, including leadership roles with Connected Voice, Tyneside Cinema and Northern Stage. He supports WERS because he believes strong local charities help build a more welcoming and connected North East.

Patron

Dr Hari Shukla has spent decades bringing people and communities together across the North East. As a lifelong campaigner for equality and anti-racism and former Director of the Tyne and Wear Racial Equality Council, he supports WERS’ belief that progress comes through listening, partnership and giving every person the chance to contribute.

Patron

Nicholas is an Anglican priest, theologian and former Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, with a long commitment to justice and the rights of refugees and vulnerable communities. Through his work with the Independent Asylum Commission and Article 26 Project, he has helped push for a more humane asylum system and better access to higher education for people seeking sanctuary.

Volunteer

Ruth helps run WERS’ sports sessions, including badminton and table tennis, supporting people to keep fit, have fun, build skills and make friends. She is an enthusiastic badminton player and also enjoys art, reading and spending time in the countryside.