West End Refugee Service
West End Refugee Service

 "The people I meet at WERS show me what really matters: security, shelter, freedom, respect, love of family and friends. WERS does all it can to bring these into the lives of persecuted people who have been denied them."

Each year West End Refugee Service welcomes, helps and empowers over 500 men and women who have fled persecution and supports their integration into the wider community. Services include advice and advocacy, befriending, hardship fund, awareness-raising programme, and skillsmatch, a volunteer project that supports people seeking asylum and refugees into rewarding volunteering opportunities out in the community that match their skills, experience and interests. 

The Shears Foundation has been a fantastic supporter of our work for many years, recognising the value of, and continuing need for, our core activities as well as encouraging new initiatives. This long-term relationship has also been immensely useful in helping to secure grants from new funders who may be not familiar with our work.