"Without WERS I wouldn’t have known what services were available to me or how to use them. At WERS I’ve learnt a lot about Newcastle and made some new friends. My favourite activity was the Kielder Observatory space photography session."
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, activities and connections and Skillsmatch. We focus on not just offering support and fulfilling basic needs, but also on physical and mental health, as well as social opportunities such as football and cooking groups. We also have a focus on getting people seeking sanctuary ready to re-enter the working world by offering courses and volunteering opportunities in a variety of different settings.
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 not be familiar with our work. Without the support of groups like The Shears Foundation we wouldn't be able to continue creating positive change for people seeking sanctuary in the North East of England.
