Dear Friend

Just a quick message to say thank you for standing up for refugees and against racism.

The messages and emails of support you have sent to us in recent days are wonderful. It is heart lifting to see how the community supports each other during this difficult time.

WERS has continued to provide vital support to vulnerable refugees during this difficult time. As soon as we became aware of the potential threat to our clients, we visited the various temporary accommodation sites to speak to the residents, provide advice on staying safe, and ensure their protection by those running the sites. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

We have decided to close our offices this week as the risk to our clients, volunteers and staff is too high. It is a shame – we had planned an employability programme session, a BBQ event with our friends from the Scotswood Garden and a digital course for refugees. Our staff is working remotely this week and we remain in contact with our clients. It is hard to think how frightened those living in temporary accommodation are. We will reassess the situation in the coming days.

We have received numerous messages of support from our community members:

Someone emailed to say that they are organising a cake sale in their community for WERS
Someone donated £5 for the first time
Someone offered their garden for Saturday in case our clients need shelter for the day

In this difficult time, please join us in reflecting on how truly wonderful it is that we are coming together. This is what makes us a community - we stand together, hand in hand, supporting one another through these challenging times.

WERS provides crucial support to asylum seekers and refugees through practical help, advocacy and emotional support.

We tackle racism and prejudice through our Raising Awareness programme offered to many organisations including schools and corporates advocating for an inclusive society. Our goal is to help people rebuild their lives and integrate into the community. We believe that ‘two-way integration’ is the key Ingredient to the inclusive society we strive to build every day.

Our activities and connections programme links everyone – locals with newly arrivals whether playing football, cooking meals, or learning about Geordieland together.

Thank you again for your support in these unprecedented times, we need your help more than ever. If you can please consider making a donation to help us continue our vital work.

Donate

Also, we would like to invite you to send a message to our service users to show solidarity. Your words will be translated and shared with those seeking asylum.

Send

Be proud of who you are, what you do, and where you are from, and mark my words - we will come out stronger from this, and WERS will continue to play a key role in building an inclusive and supportive civil society for ALL in the North East.

In solidarity

Andy Durma
Chief Executive