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YOU can make a difference this year.

Over the last year, the prolonged delay in asylum cases being heard has created a backlog of people trapped in temporary accommodation, whilst others are unable to work as they await a decision. The hostile environment pursued by the current Government has also whipped up a frenzy of fear - from the National & Borders Bill passing to Rwanda relocation threats. The cost-of-living crisis has only added to the need, with support payments for those fleeing war and persecution falling further behind rising inflation. Many people receive just £40 a week or less – it's simply not enough to cover basic needs.  

We help fill in the gaps, with a dignified Free Shop providing warm clothes, shoes and toiletries, a beauty and barber area, a Welcome Café serving hot meals twice a week, and a tech repair and provision service. But we also want to help people cope and become independent. We have an increasing range of activities tailor-made to provide skills to increase resilience and well-being within our community and improve employability once people receive status.  

For instance, we hold regular activities like household maintenance, bike repair and tech repair to develop talents and help keep costs low. We’ve also been developing new Move-On workshops which teach financial independence and job application tips. We provide free English classes and IELTS prep for university and college, plus ample opportunities to volunteer in an area that utilizes our Centre Members’ talents. Through our work, we are giving our Centre Members the tools and support they need to not only survive but also feel more settled and capable. 

We rely on donations and grants to provide these vital services. We are fortunate to have an Aviva match-funded appeal this year, so your donation can be stretched even further. We know times are tight, but even just £5-15 will make a difference!

Match funding will close on December 31st - please donate now if you can, and help our Centre continue to provide a lifeline for the refugees and people seeking asylum in Calderdale who need our support.

A huge thank you to all of you who have already supported this appeal, and others who help us in other ways. Whether you fundraise, volunteer, share our work, or even just read our newsletter and inform yourself, you are truly making a difference.

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Opportunities.

Vacancy:  Specialist Mental Health Worker

New year, new challenge? Keen to join our diverse team?

We are looking for someone who has experience working with statutory and voluntary mental health providers and is passionate about making a difference for people fleeing war and persecution.

Rate of pay: £29,250 pro rata (£11,700 in real terms)
Deadline to apply: 5 pm, Tuesday 10th January ‘23

Apply Now
News from our Centre:

Interior Design Makeover - St. Augustine's Edition.

The latest winner of Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr (BBC 1), Lynsey Ford Design has been busy at our Centre creating this unbelievable transformation. It was a tough brief - we wanted these rooms to do just about everything! From table tennis to meetings, video gaming to dinner service... Lynsey rose to the challenge.

This year more than ever, these rooms will provide a warm, comforting space to anyone joining us for a hot meal from the Welcome Cafe on Mondays and Thursdays. They'll also serve as a fantastic space for the myriad activities we provide for the people seeking sanctuary we support. Check out the before and after photos above - hard to believe it's the same space!

Thank you so much to Wickes for donating the flooring, underlay & skirting and also to Farrow & Ball at Vama Kitchens for donating the paint.

Gardeners' day out to Gordon Riggs.

We took participants from our gardening group for a day out in Todmorden to see Christmas decorations at Gordon Riggs Garden Centre. Everyone enjoyed the wintery, festive trip - especially meeting the donkeys! 

As always, we are grateful to Calderdale Council for providing funding support for our gardening group for 12 months. It's a wonderful way for people to get out, active and involved with our community.

Congratulations to Calderdale's 1st School of Sanctuary.

We were thrilled to hear that Beech Hill School have become the FIRST to receive the prestigious School of Sanctuary status in Calderdale. They've set a prime example of how to welcome people seeking sanctuary and are making efforts to raise awareness in our community. Thank you for reminding us that our future is bright!

If you know a school interested in becoming a School of Sanctuary, Calderdale Valley of Sanctuary is currently accepting applications for a small bursary to assist with the process. Find out more by contacting Lisa, the Schools lead.

Solicitor sessions were a success.

Our sincere thanks to Fisher Stone Solicitors for donating their time & expertise to deliver six informational sessions explaining and simplifying the complex asylum process. The sessions were offered in an incredible 9 languages to 98 attendees.

Too often people seeking asylum are unable to access the essential legal advice and representation they need in order to stand a chance at being granted protection in the UK. It’s a huge issue for many of the people we work with, so sessions like this are truly invaluable.

Volunteer of the Month Award.


Golala received the award in November for her work in our Beauty Salon. She loves inspiring other women, helping boost their confidence and improve well-being.

Elsa was given the award this December for her exceptional organisation of this year's Christmas gift appeal and wrapping sessions. She's managed to source hundreds upon hundreds of presents to ensure each and every person attending our Christmas party will receive a gift. 

Thank you both!

Welcome new trustees.

We are pleased to provide a warm welcome for our newest Trustees:

- Lora Evans - Lora previously worked at St Augustine’s Centre and has a wealth of experience in the asylum sector. She currently works for Refugee Action’s Good Practice & Partnerships Team.

- Ebrahim Ghadirfar - Ebrahim has already been volunteering with us as an interpreter, case worker and in the English language team. 

- Keith Baulcombe - Keith is retired, having worked at a senior level in mental health as both provider (he ran MIND in Hull for 30 years) and commissioner (for the NHS).

- Adesina Lawal - Adesina was a journalist and media manager in his home country; he currently volunteers in the English language team.

- Elina (Eli) Eady - Elli is a solicitor with past experience in the asylum and immigration sector and now focuses on legal issues around adult social care. Her mother was a refugee - she was born in a refugee camp and came to the U.K. at the age of 13.

We are thrilled to bring such a wealth of experience, expertise and diversity to our Board.

A Grand Final win with Halifax Panthers.

Halifax Panthers beat Leeds Rhinos in the Wheelchair Super League Grand Final, with our Centre Member Julio on the team.

Click here to read the article.

A foodie feature in Fragments of Halifax.

If you follow our social media, you might have seen that we had a special visit from Ruby Tandoh of the Great British Bake-Off fame. She joined our Welcome Cafe lunch service to learn more about our Centre, the cooks, and how food helps bring a multitude of cultures together here in Halifax.

You can read the excerpt here, starting on page 11.

What we need now:

Can you help us? 
We currently need second-hand tech, especially mobile phones and laptops

Our volunteers will wipe these clean and provide any repairs to recycle and give to someone in need.

Campaigns.
We were devastated to hear news of more lives lost at sea this week. Especially following the PM's latest plan to tackle 'illegal immigration' announced on Tuesday.

The fact remains that for most people seeking asylum in the UK (which is less than 1% of the world's refugees, by the way) the only way to do so is by boat. There are no visas. You cannot claim asylum from outside the UK. And the vast majority of people do not qualify for restrictive, inefficient ‘safe routes’ - even for those whom we are claiming to help like Afghans. 

The people we support at St Augustine’s are women, men and children just like us. Except that unlike us, they have had no choice but to flee their homes to find safety. We know this because we know them and their stories.

When we read the dehumanising way people seeking asylum are referred to in our media, and the cruel policies imposed by our government - we feel ashamed. We do not believe that this is who we are as a country, and we know that we can do better.
 
Read our full statement here

Communities Not Camps.

We believe people seeking asylum should be housed in communities, not camps.

However, the UK Government is planning to warehouse and segregate people seeking asylum in accommodation centres across the country. Campaigners and residents have recently defeated plans to open the first of these planned centres, in Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire, but we need to stop these centres from being opened in any community.

If these sites are allowed to go ahead, people seeking sanctuary will find themselves isolated in prison-like conditions without adequate advice, healthcare, or support. These facilities will segregate and re-traumatise people and have been planned with no consideration of the needs of local communities or people seeking asylum.

We're joining Asylum Matters to ask you to write to your MP and call on them to oppose all accommodation centres, and instead ask the Government to house people seeking asylum in safe and suitable housing within communities where they can rebuild their lives.

Write a letter to your MP now

Fill the Skies with Hope.

We previously announced our involvement with the latest campaign from #TogetherWithRefugees, urging the Prime Minister to change course on the government’s policy to banish refugees to Rwanda. The #FillTheSkiesWithHope campaign will now continue on into the new year.  

Please help us by planning your own orange aeroplane launch, sending in photos and arranging a collection of your aeroplanes with messages of hope. These will be dropped off with an MP, so we want to gather as many as possible to make a statement!

You can find out more about how to get involved here.

Dates to Remember.
St. Augustine's Stars.
Valley Organics Workers' Co-op donated loofahs and Faith in Nature body wash for Christmas gifts
Christ Church Barkisland ran a toy drive for Christmas and also raised £450, which was doubled through the Aviva appeal to a fantastic £900!
Brighouse 6th Form Sanctuary Group collected a van-load of warm clothes, coats and fleeces for our Free Shop.
Colden Junior & Infant School pupils raised a wonderful £362 to support our work
Friendly Soap donated a load of lovely smelling soaps for our Christmas gift appeal
Warley Road Primary School raised funds split between St. Augustine's and a Pakistan flood relief appeal through their Toffee Town project, donating £230.35 to each
Aire Logic provided £250 for all staff members to donate to charity, thank you John Kitson for choosing us to receive your donation
Waterhouse Charities Trustees chose to donate £1,000 to St. Augustine's Centre - thank you!
Totes donated 60 umbrellas to use as gifts for adults this Christmas. We can never keep up with demand for umbrellas, so these will certainly go down a treat!
Plus, a special thank you to:

Tristan Molloy for handmade wooden toys and facilitating cotton bags from a local craft group
Ruth Neville and the University of Huddersfield for a fantastic collection of gifts
Thomson Reuters for gifts and sending employees to wrap gifts
Wadsworth WI for donations, vouchers and lots of gifts
Also, thank you to Aldi Todmorden, Tesco Halifax, Home Bargains, TK Maxx Halifax and hundreds of other people, local organisations and groups who donated presents this year.
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