Stafford Welcomes Refugees (SWR) founded in 2015, is a constituted voluntary group of local people, that was set up to press for the UK to take its fair share of refugees fleeing war and persecution and to provide a welcome and support for those coming to Stafford. We are working on 4 main fronts.
SUPPORTING ALL REFUGEES IN STAFFORD. As partners with Staffordshire County Council, Refugee Action and Spring Housing we support refugees on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). We also offer support to all refugees in Stafford as follows: regular social events; gatherings; days out; English conversation practice and ESOL teaching; friendship; emotional support; collection of donated goods and furniture; and we provide translation of Arabic/English during our activities.
HELPING OTHER REFUGEES, in Europe and the Middle East and any that have arrived in Stafford unofficially. Our Outreach group is collecting supplies to send to camps in Greece and elsewhere.
RAISING AWARENESS about the issues and situation for refugees, including dispelling fears through giving out accurate and truthful information. Letters and articles have been published in the local press and our Facebook page. There have been monthly public lectures on Islam at the University in Stafford. We would welcome volunteers to offer workshops for schools.
CAMPAIGNING by lobbying the Government, Staffordshire County Council and Stafford Borough Council to receive more refugees in the UK than the promised 20,000 over 5 years. We are affiliated to Safe Passage and Citizen’s UK to campaign nationally and locally. We are working with our MP Jeremy Lefroy to prompt the Government to speed up their procedures and to ask for more refugees and unaccompanied children to be resettled in the UK. Over 500 residents of Stafford signed our petition presented to Stafford Borough Council asking for families over the next few years.
WE NEED YOU!
Would you like to join us? We are always in need of new volunteers!
If you think you have a skill to offer, or just want to help out, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email on: [email protected]
You can also find us on Facebook, please click on the Facebook link, like and follow 
You can also contact us via the messaging service on our Facebook page.
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