A Good YearOur twenty fifth year was a good one with a lot of volunteers and a lot of new initiatives. We now have a “hostel” (a caravan) for three homeless men. Stephen Morgan MP is holding monthly surgeries in the dropin for our clients and the new volunteers include a teacher so we have increased the English classes. A small group has been formed to work on a Community Allotment and a client who is a barber brings his clippers every couple of weeks to provide free haircuts. A lot of people are doing what they can to make the bad situation of refugees a bit better. Generous SupportersWe’ve also had some generous support from people who can’t come to the Dropin. Two legacies have come in during the year and this has enabled us to raise the amount we give destitute asylum seekers from £15 to £20 a week. We help with other expenses too - such as when people making fresh claims have to travel to Liverpool to do so. This is a particularly mean requirement of the Home Office aimed at “failed” refugees who are not allowed to work, not housed, excluded from the Welfare State and not given any money at all. We give them a straight hundred pounds for Liverpool trips and suggest they sleep on the coach. If they book early they might even get a little change and be able to buy lunch when they get there. It isn’t just legacies which have sustained us, the church has been particularly helpful – the Anglican Bishop nominated us for his Lent Appeal and one or two parishes have made noteworthy donations. Our biggest and most dependable income comes from our monthly donors.  Mabel, a new volunteer, with a client (©Michael Woolley) Let them Work During 2018 we affiliated with more than 80 charities, think tanks, faith groups, businesses and trade unions to launch the ‘Lift the Ban’ campaign calling on the Government to grant the right to work to people seeking asylum. The campaign makes the case that being allowed to work would support people’s integration into new communities, allow them dignity and improve their health and wellbeing. It features new statistics which reveal:
 A full room at a recent dropin (©Michael Woolley) Signing On A perfectly reasonable Home Office requirement for asylum seekers is that they sign on at regular intervals. Asylum Seekers in Portsmouth used to have to sign on at the police station in Portsmouth but that has now been changed to Fareham, 11 miles away. They are occasionally arrested when they sign which makes the day very stressful. Hearing about this one of our supporters, the Vicar of Holy Trinity Fareham, takes herself down to the police station on signing days and hangs about outside, introducing herself and inviting signers to have a coffee nearby. All the signers and all the immigration officers are based in Portsmouth so signing in Fareham is inconvenient for everyone. It is also expensive – we pay bus fares for a number of clients, costing us around £100 a month. Portsmouth Police Station is being rebuilt but apparently it hasn’t yet been decided if the new station will be suitable for signing. One would have thought it could have been included in the architect’s brief. Ongoing projects
Retirements During 2018 we have said “goodbye” to Philip Hudson who was a splendid book-keeper for many years and Helen Burchett who started the “Children’s Corner” and made it a tremendous success. Many thanks to both of them. Helen is stepping back but maintaining her links with the charity which is what I want to do myself - having reached 75 I hope to retire as Chairman but carry on doing some of the hands-on work. It is a good moment, Friends Without Borders is thriving, we have a lot of good new volunteers and some very faithful and generous supporters. It has been a great privilege to be Chairman of such a dynamic group for the last five years. And a great privilege to work with our amazingly cheerful clients. Michael Woolley
|
 Bokeh Balls © Steve Jurvetson | A very happy Christmas to all our supporters. The Drop-in had its traditional Children’s Party on 20th December, an entertainer was there for the children, a buffet lunch served and presents distributed. A happy day. We are now closed till 3rd January - our Christmas break being almost the only break we have. I was invited to read the lesson in a Cathedral Carol Service this year – my billing being as Chairman, Friends Without Borders. I got the slot done the previous day (there are three Carol Services) by Penny Mordant MP. Other lessons were read by a variety of people including the Lord Mayor, the Vice Chancellor of the University, and the Commander of Portsmouth Naval Base. It’s gratifying to have Friends Without Borders recognised as a Portsmouth institution. |
Generous support
Christmas is an important time for charity fundraising and we have received a number of generous donations, including one from the Cosham Community Choir, a big one from the Diocese, and a few from private individuals, some of whom give anonymously. The sad thing about anonymous gifts is that we don’t get the chance to say “thank you” or to put donors on our Occasional News list.
If you happen to come across somebody thinking of donating anonymously please let them know that being on our supporters list does NOT mean that they’ll be receiving endless appeals. We made an appeal five years ago and only one (rather low key one) since.
If you happen to come across somebody thinking of donating anonymously please let them know that being on our supporters list does NOT mean that they’ll be receiving endless appeals. We made an appeal five years ago and only one (rather low key one) since.
Twenty five years!
The appeal five years ago was for our 20th anniversary and in 2019 we shall reach our 25th!
Not bad for a small local charity. We started as Haslar Visitors Group, visiting immigration detainees in Haslar Prison. We took over the drop-in when another charity abruptly closed and ran it alone for some months till the Red Cross came to join us.
Haslar, renamed an “Immigration Removal Centre” closed in 2015 but by that time we had already changed our name to “Friends Without Borders”.
If anyone remembers the very early days I should be interested to hear from them
Not bad for a small local charity. We started as Haslar Visitors Group, visiting immigration detainees in Haslar Prison. We took over the drop-in when another charity abruptly closed and ran it alone for some months till the Red Cross came to join us.
Haslar, renamed an “Immigration Removal Centre” closed in 2015 but by that time we had already changed our name to “Friends Without Borders”.
If anyone remembers the very early days I should be interested to hear from them
Fareham Welcome
The work goes on. Portsmouth still has 200 asylum seekers dispersed to it, none of whom are allowed to work.
Recently, as regular readers know, they have been required to “sign on” eleven miles away at the police station in Fareham. Part of Mrs May’s “hostile environment” think cynical people - but the main police station in Portsmouth is being rebuilt, so perhaps not pure cynicism, though it is not yet clear if the new building will have facilities for signing on.
Meanwhile a team from Holy Trinity Fareham is meeting asylum seekers as they sign on there and offering them coffee. Well done Holy Trinity! The Vicar came to meet us at the drop-in recently.
A Headache for some asylum seekers is that they lose their claims and are told to leave the UK. They don’t have permission to work, rent, drive or hold a bank account. They aren’t given any cash or accommodation by the Government. But some are trying to make fresh claims and some are from countries to which they quite literally cannot go back as their own countries won’t accept them.
There are about twenty like this in Portsmouth. And on any one night four or five will be sleeping rough. We’ve been looking into how we might help them and have had some interesting advice from Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group. They were renting some rooms for destitute asylum seekers but were advised by a top lawyer that under the Right to Rent Act they could not rent rooms but could rent a complete housing unit for use as a “hostel”.
We’d like to find a “housing unit” ourselves, at least for January and February.
Recently, as regular readers know, they have been required to “sign on” eleven miles away at the police station in Fareham. Part of Mrs May’s “hostile environment” think cynical people - but the main police station in Portsmouth is being rebuilt, so perhaps not pure cynicism, though it is not yet clear if the new building will have facilities for signing on.
Meanwhile a team from Holy Trinity Fareham is meeting asylum seekers as they sign on there and offering them coffee. Well done Holy Trinity! The Vicar came to meet us at the drop-in recently.
A Headache for some asylum seekers is that they lose their claims and are told to leave the UK. They don’t have permission to work, rent, drive or hold a bank account. They aren’t given any cash or accommodation by the Government. But some are trying to make fresh claims and some are from countries to which they quite literally cannot go back as their own countries won’t accept them.
There are about twenty like this in Portsmouth. And on any one night four or five will be sleeping rough. We’ve been looking into how we might help them and have had some interesting advice from Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group. They were renting some rooms for destitute asylum seekers but were advised by a top lawyer that under the Right to Rent Act they could not rent rooms but could rent a complete housing unit for use as a “hostel”.
We’d like to find a “housing unit” ourselves, at least for January and February.
The B word
Our Access for Justice project is gearing up for Brexit. A complicated situation when you have European nationals of African heritage working in the UK.
We wait, as do they, to see what the new rules will be.
We wait, as do they, to see what the new rules will be.
Happy New Year!
Michael Woolley, Chairman
Michael Woolley, Chairman Friends Without Borders
chairman@friendswithoutborders.org.uk
Office - 023 9283 9222
Office address: All Saints Centre, Commercial Road, Portsmouth PO1 4BTto edit.
Michael Woolley, Chairman
Michael Woolley, Chairman Friends Without Borders
chairman@friendswithoutborders.org.uk
Office - 023 9283 9222
Office address: All Saints Centre, Commercial Road, Portsmouth PO1 4BTto edit.
MP’s Surgery
 | The MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, has started running a monthly surgery for asylum seekers at our drop-in. This is great - two of his assistants come and give advice – valuable as they have access to the Home Office (a special telephone number) which we do not: there are things an MP can do which we cannot. As far as we know we are the only drop-in in the country offering an on-site MP’s surgery. We arranged the service and are sharing it with the Red Cross. |
Allotments
A small group of volunteers are taking some of our clients to a Community Allotment where they have already painted the shed and planted out some carrots and onions. It is very healthy for people living in dire poverty to have something useful to do. They are, of course, not allowed to work.
Housing
Part of Mrs May’s “hostile environment” is to deprive asylum seekers of a place to live or the right to rent at a certain stage in the application process.
We have a number of clients in this category and have recently carried out a survey to find out how many and how they are sustaining themselves.
It was a small survey but indicates that about 20 are currently homeless - 15 “sofa surfing” and 5 living on the streets. A volunteer is currently preparing a report and proposals as to how we can help them – you will be hearing more!
We have a number of clients in this category and have recently carried out a survey to find out how many and how they are sustaining themselves.
It was a small survey but indicates that about 20 are currently homeless - 15 “sofa surfing” and 5 living on the streets. A volunteer is currently preparing a report and proposals as to how we can help them – you will be hearing more!
Liverpool Trips and Signing-on
 Royal Liver Building © Beverley Goodwin | We have had a number of people recently who have had to go to Liverpool to hand over papers for a fresh asylum application. We also have a number of clients who are required to “sign-on” at a local police station – until recently Portsmouth but now Fareham 9 miles away. Friends Without Borders pays for these journeys, the costs of getting to Liverpool vary but we’ve recently decided to give all travellers a straight £100 to include a little money for refreshment en route. A Fareham trip costs £5 return on the bus. One trustee has drafted a letter of protest to his MP. We hope that others will send similar letters – it’s better if you rewrite in your own words – but political pressure really is needed. |
Portsmouth to be a “City of Sanctuary”
A group have been working on this for a while and an official launch by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire is planned for Wednesday 19th June at All Saints. More information in due course.
One World Week
OWW is from 21st to 28th October with many local churches taking part with a variety of events. We were particularly interested in:
- A World without Borders – a talk and discussion at the Portsmouth Friends’ Meeting House on Tuesday 23rd from 19:00 till 21:00. This is in partnership with Journeys Festival.
- One World Week Celebration at the Discovery Centre, St John’s RC Cathedral on Wednesday 24th from 14:00 to 16:30. Activities, stalls on theme of change. Do think about what you might come and do! Cakes from around the world
Journeys Arts Festival
This is from 19th - 28th October and has a good website with full programme details.
Retirement
I have been the Chairman for some years now but have told trustees that I propose to retire at the next AGM in Spring 2019.
I do not propose leaving the charity or giving up all the work I do but I shall be 75 next birthday and feel it’s time for someone else to take the helm.
I do not propose leaving the charity or giving up all the work I do but I shall be 75 next birthday and feel it’s time for someone else to take the helm.
With very best wishes,
Michael Woolley, still Chairman
Michael Woolley, still Chairman
VIGIL AND REFLECTIONS
Chichester Cathedral © Tony Hisgett Thank you to everyone who supported Roger Pask and me during our Vigil for Refugees in Chichester Cathedral. The day was a success, gaining as much, if not a little more, support than two years ago when we last had it there.
The “reflections” (short talks) were rather a success too and we shall be publishing some of them in due course. Many thanks to our volunteer Davey Butler who stood in at short notice when someone dropped out – thank you Davey.
The “reflections” (short talks) were rather a success too and we shall be publishing some of them in due course. Many thanks to our volunteer Davey Butler who stood in at short notice when someone dropped out – thank you Davey.
GOOD NEWS!
Peoples Bus Liverpool © John K Thorne Photography As reported last time we’ve been able to raise our standard destitution payment from fifteen to twenty pounds a week.
We also pay transport to Fareham for all those who have to “sign on” at the Police Station there (the bus ticket is over £5). They used to sign on at Portsmouth Police Station in Winston Churchill Avenue but the venue was recently changed to Fareham for undisclosed reasons. There are no dispersed asylum seekers in Fareham and the Immigration Officers who supervise the signing are based in Portsmouth so the change in venue seems ill considered from both points of view.
We also pay for people to travel to Liverpool to make fresh claims. I always thought that asylum seekers were made to appear in person so they could be interviewed. I’ve now learnt that very few are interviewed – the requirement to present the papers in person is pure bureaucratic harassment. It costs us about £100 each time in fares as we are the ones who have to pay!
The result of all this spending is that our reserves are gently going down – no bad thing, people give us money to spend on the needy not to keep in the bank. However it’s a situation which has to be watched obviously, your Chairman isn’t worried but he is keeping an eye on things.
We also pay transport to Fareham for all those who have to “sign on” at the Police Station there (the bus ticket is over £5). They used to sign on at Portsmouth Police Station in Winston Churchill Avenue but the venue was recently changed to Fareham for undisclosed reasons. There are no dispersed asylum seekers in Fareham and the Immigration Officers who supervise the signing are based in Portsmouth so the change in venue seems ill considered from both points of view.
We also pay for people to travel to Liverpool to make fresh claims. I always thought that asylum seekers were made to appear in person so they could be interviewed. I’ve now learnt that very few are interviewed – the requirement to present the papers in person is pure bureaucratic harassment. It costs us about £100 each time in fares as we are the ones who have to pay!
The result of all this spending is that our reserves are gently going down – no bad thing, people give us money to spend on the needy not to keep in the bank. However it’s a situation which has to be watched obviously, your Chairman isn’t worried but he is keeping an eye on things.
LORD LIEUTENANT VISIT
The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire dropped in to our Drop-in recently.
Lords Lieutenant are the Queen’s local representatives in the different counties and this one was very charming and interested.
Lords Lieutenant are the Queen’s local representatives in the different counties and this one was very charming and interested.
BOB’S WALK
Our supporter Bob Thomas successfully completed his walk from St Columba’s in Fareham to St Columba’s in Pont Street, just behind Harrods. We’re not sure exactly what he raised but it was over £750, perhaps £1,000.
Well done Bob – thank you!
Well done Bob – thank you!
AND THANK YOU TO THE Al MAHDI CENTRE, WESSEX JAMAAT
The Mosque presented us with a splendid food collection post-Ramadan. Thank you to everyone who contributed and to Sheikh Fazle Abbas for organising it all.
The food was collected and transported by Bob Thomas of St Columba back in harness after his walk. There’s enough to make up food bags for all our clients if the regular suppliers fail us for some reason.
The food was collected and transported by Bob Thomas of St Columba back in harness after his walk. There’s enough to make up food bags for all our clients if the regular suppliers fail us for some reason.
AND THANK YOU TO THE MUSLIM BARBER
Scissors © Simon Law A gentleman who appeared one day with all his kit and spent a morning cutting our clients’ hair. Very unfussy and practical help: thank you!
ACCOMMODATION NEEDED
Second Bedroom © Dan M “Refugees At Home” is a small charity that arranges altruistic hosting, over a limited period, for destitute asylum-seekers. They write:
"We have hosted for over 80,000 individual person nights and currently host some 150 guests across the UK.
We have recently received a referral for a refused asylum seeker from Sudan who has found himself street homeless while he prepares to submit a fresh claim.
Unfortunately, all of the prospective hosts we have in the area have now been asked and we have run out of options to pursue. Do you have any links in the area or ideas for who we might approach?”
I have come across Refugee at Home a number of times and been impressed by their efficiency and understanding of the needs of hosts. If anyone is interested could they contact Rachel Davenport: info@refugeesathome.org.
Very best wishes,
Michael (chairman@friendswithoutborders.org.uk)
Events
REFUGEE WEEK VIGIL
Chichester Cathedral Lady Chapel
MONDAY 18TH JUNE
from Matins 07:30 to Evensong 17:30
and including both services.
Largely silent prayer but with hourly “Reflections”
DO JOIN US FOR AS SHORT OR AS LONG A TIME AS YOU WISH
Chichester Cathedral Lady Chapel
MONDAY 18TH JUNE
from Matins 07:30 to Evensong 17:30
and including both services.
Largely silent prayer but with hourly “Reflections”
DO JOIN US FOR AS SHORT OR AS LONG A TIME AS YOU WISH
GOOD NEWS!
Our fund raising has been going well recently and we have received a small legacy so we’ve been able to raise our standard destitution payment from £15 to £20 a week. All our clients are offered a food bank voucher when we have them as well.
This is very good news for our clients, none of whom are allowed to work and many of whom are excluded from the Welfare State as the Windrush people have been.
This is very good news for our clients, none of whom are allowed to work and many of whom are excluded from the Welfare State as the Windrush people have been.
IFTAR MEALS
Iftar at Home ©raasiel “Iftar” is the fast-breaking meal which Muslims eat after evening prayers during the month of Ramadan.
A supporter offered to provide these once a week during the month for our clients. We have been very happy to agree to this and on Thursday nights a team of mainly Christian volunteers open All Saints where we hold the drop-in, Muslim prayers are said, and the meal is enjoyed by Muslims and Christians alike.
A nice bit of inter-faith community building.
A supporter offered to provide these once a week during the month for our clients. We have been very happy to agree to this and on Thursday nights a team of mainly Christian volunteers open All Saints where we hold the drop-in, Muslim prayers are said, and the meal is enjoyed by Muslims and Christians alike.
A nice bit of inter-faith community building.
BOB’S WALK
Our supporter Bob Thomas is as I write walking the first leg of his walk from St Columba’s in Fareham to St Columba’s in London. He is collecting for Friends Without Borders and you may sponsor him on his JustGiving page.
I just rang him to see how the first day was going but just got a very tired sounding answerphone message. If he was tired at the start I hate to think how he’s going to be at the end!
I just rang him to see how the first day was going but just got a very tired sounding answerphone message. If he was tired at the start I hate to think how he’s going to be at the end!
COMPUTER PARAGON NEEDED
 Laptop 2 ©Tauralbus | In our last Occasional News I wrote about the death of our wonderful computer man John Cozens. I wonder if there is any volunteer who might be interested in the job: it would involve installing and servicing our equipment, liaising with Tech Trust about our Microsoft Licence, possibly doing a bit of programming with our database. I’m afraid this isn’t a job for a well-meaning but inexperienced amateur, what we need is someone who can hit the ground running and - after an unfortunate experience some years ago - someone who is totally trustworthy. |
FEES
©Simon James This briefing draws on a detailed document by the CORAM Children’s Legal Centre We are grateful to CORAM for all their work on this.
The situation: Leave to Remain Asylum seekers may be given refugee status which lasts for five years. At the end of five years they must apply for “Indefinite leave” meaning permanent residence, but this application is free of charge.
Many others are given Discretionary Leave to Remain which is initially for 30 months and has to be renewed four times at a considerable cost until the applicant has been in the country for ten years, after which they can apply for settlement. This applies to every individual, including children. There seems to be little consistency over decisions on why some applicants are in one category and some in the other.
How much are the fees?
At the moment (June 2018), each individual must pay £1,533 per person, including a compulsory health surcharge. This may rise to £2033 if the government carries out its plan to double the health surcharge by the end of 2018.
The health surcharge must be paid on-line, which is extremely difficult for those without bank accounts. Until 2015 renewal was free, but charges were introduced in April 2015 and have continued to rise steeply every year. The charges are out of all proportion to the Home Office “processing” cost.
After applying for renewal every 30 months, at the end of ten years an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain costs (at today’s rate) £2,389 per person.
People should save up…
They do, but:
What about Fee Waivers?
There is no fee waiver for Indefinite Leave to Remain or citizenship.
Some people with Discretionary Leave can apply for a fee waiver, but the eligibility threshold is extremely high and if a request for a fee waiver is rejected, you have ten days to pay the fee before your application for extension is rejected; you then lose your status entirely and become undocumented. This means you become unable to work; you have no recourse to public funds (benefits) and the time you have already spent in the UK is not counted towards the ten years’ leave you need in order to apply for settlement.
Friends Without Borders is helping applicants with these fees, we paid £1,012 in May and have just received a request for£1,033 in June, this being the balance of a fee after the client has made a large contribution himself. Trustees are still deciding but it currently looks as if they will agree the June application.
Is there anything I can do?
Write to your MP – the current charges are arbitrary, excessive and grossly unfair, particularly on young families trying to set themselves up after the upset of leaving their own countries.
The situation: Leave to Remain Asylum seekers may be given refugee status which lasts for five years. At the end of five years they must apply for “Indefinite leave” meaning permanent residence, but this application is free of charge.
Many others are given Discretionary Leave to Remain which is initially for 30 months and has to be renewed four times at a considerable cost until the applicant has been in the country for ten years, after which they can apply for settlement. This applies to every individual, including children. There seems to be little consistency over decisions on why some applicants are in one category and some in the other.
How much are the fees?
At the moment (June 2018), each individual must pay £1,533 per person, including a compulsory health surcharge. This may rise to £2033 if the government carries out its plan to double the health surcharge by the end of 2018.
The health surcharge must be paid on-line, which is extremely difficult for those without bank accounts. Until 2015 renewal was free, but charges were introduced in April 2015 and have continued to rise steeply every year. The charges are out of all proportion to the Home Office “processing” cost.
After applying for renewal every 30 months, at the end of ten years an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain costs (at today’s rate) £2,389 per person.
People should save up…
They do, but:
- it is difficult to get a well paid job if you only have a visa for 30 months;
- as the fees are per family member a family may have to find £8,000 or more every 30 months;
- the fees are increasing by between 10% and 30% a year so it’s difficult to keep up.
What about Fee Waivers?
There is no fee waiver for Indefinite Leave to Remain or citizenship.
Some people with Discretionary Leave can apply for a fee waiver, but the eligibility threshold is extremely high and if a request for a fee waiver is rejected, you have ten days to pay the fee before your application for extension is rejected; you then lose your status entirely and become undocumented. This means you become unable to work; you have no recourse to public funds (benefits) and the time you have already spent in the UK is not counted towards the ten years’ leave you need in order to apply for settlement.
Friends Without Borders is helping applicants with these fees, we paid £1,012 in May and have just received a request for£1,033 in June, this being the balance of a fee after the client has made a large contribution himself. Trustees are still deciding but it currently looks as if they will agree the June application.
Is there anything I can do?
Write to your MP – the current charges are arbitrary, excessive and grossly unfair, particularly on young families trying to set themselves up after the upset of leaving their own countries.
Very best wishes,
Michael
(chairman@friendswithoutborders.org.uk)
PS Do try to join me and Roger Pask at the Chichester Cathedral Vigil on Monday 18th June. Roger (Chair of Sanctuary in Chichester) and I (Chair of Friends Without Borders, Portsmouth) will be there all day. It would be lovely to see you.
Information Security Wordle © Purple Slog
You may have noticed that your inbox has been overflowing with e-mails as charities and companies get ready for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that comes into force on Friday 25th May.
Friends Without Borders does not make public any personal information without getting the permission of those concerned. We do not sell client, supporter or volunteer lists.
To ensure that we are ready for GDPR our trustees have checked and approved our charity data policy and the full details of how we use volunteer and client information can be found here.
Friends Without Borders does not make public any personal information without getting the permission of those concerned. We do not sell client, supporter or volunteer lists.
To ensure that we are ready for GDPR our trustees have checked and approved our charity data policy and the full details of how we use volunteer and client information can be found here.
The Friends Without Borders Annual Report is now available online.
Last year in Portsmouth
Click here to read the full report
Last year in Portsmouth
- 236 people were advised by FWB (sometimes many times) – many more helped indirectly;
- £22,036 given in destitution funding by FWB (up from £16,000 the year before);
- £26,784 spent in total (including destitution) on running the drop-in by FWB;
- Journeys Arts Festival was financed with a grant of £9,800 from the Big Lottery obtained by Friends Without Borders;
- Children’s Corner was run by us;
- Access to Justice free legal advice service was run by us (one of only two free immigration legal advice services in the city).
Click here to read the full report
One of our own volunteers, Bob Thomas, will be taking part in a sponsored 75 mile walk in June for Friends without Borders and the Iona Abbey Capital Appeal.
Bob will be walking from St Columba Church in Fareham to St Columba Church in central London between the 3rd and 10th June.
You can sponsor Bob's excellent effort via JustGiving, here (Friends Without Borders) and here (the Iona Abbey Capital Appeal).
Our own Chairman, Michael Woolley, has already sponsored Bob and says: "I'm delighted to support Bob and help a very worthy cause, asylum seekers in Britain today are the poorest people in this country, many now completely excluded from the Welfare State. Thank you Bob.
Bob will be walking from St Columba Church in Fareham to St Columba Church in central London between the 3rd and 10th June.
You can sponsor Bob's excellent effort via JustGiving, here (Friends Without Borders) and here (the Iona Abbey Capital Appeal).
Our own Chairman, Michael Woolley, has already sponsored Bob and says: "I'm delighted to support Bob and help a very worthy cause, asylum seekers in Britain today are the poorest people in this country, many now completely excluded from the Welfare State. Thank you Bob.
You are cordially invited to a complimentary
REFUGEE FILM SHOW
Films about the refugee experience
All Saints Church PO1 4BT
Provisionally (but church not yet booked)
Monday 23rd April 2018
after a short Annual General Meeting
at 19:00
There will be a buffet supper and an opportunity to meet other supporters after the main meeting.
REFUGEE FILM SHOW
Films about the refugee experience
All Saints Church PO1 4BT
Provisionally (but church not yet booked)
Monday 23rd April 2018
after a short Annual General Meeting
at 19:00
There will be a buffet supper and an opportunity to meet other supporters after the main meeting.
SAFE PASSAGE
I stand with migrants. © Alisdare Hickson “Early on Friday evening 19th January 2018 we received the fantastic news from the Home Office that the cut off date to the ‘Dubs’ Scheme has been lifted. This means that our Government will have no excuse not to fill the hundreds of remaining spaces.
“However, until Friday, child refugees could only be accepted under the scheme if they had arrived in Europe before 20th March 2016. This arbitrary and bitterly unfair cut-off date left some of the most at-risk and vulnerable refugees in Europe without any hope of help.
“As time wore on many eligible children were either disappearing or making their way elsewhere. And all the while thousands more child refugees arrived in Europe, not eligible for the scheme and just as vulnerable.
“Now these children will be considered for protection in Britain.
“Our Government would not have changed their mind without pressure from people like you. By campaigning together and persistently, we’ve won the Home Office over.
“This change of tack from Amber Rudd will mean that the Safe Passage field teams can help many more of the at-risk children they meet very day. With your help we’ll get those remaining Dubs kids here, quickly. Thank you.
Beth Gardiner-Smith
Senior Campaigns Organiser, Safe Passage
“However, until Friday, child refugees could only be accepted under the scheme if they had arrived in Europe before 20th March 2016. This arbitrary and bitterly unfair cut-off date left some of the most at-risk and vulnerable refugees in Europe without any hope of help.
“As time wore on many eligible children were either disappearing or making their way elsewhere. And all the while thousands more child refugees arrived in Europe, not eligible for the scheme and just as vulnerable.
“Now these children will be considered for protection in Britain.
“Our Government would not have changed their mind without pressure from people like you. By campaigning together and persistently, we’ve won the Home Office over.
“This change of tack from Amber Rudd will mean that the Safe Passage field teams can help many more of the at-risk children they meet very day. With your help we’ll get those remaining Dubs kids here, quickly. Thank you.
Beth Gardiner-Smith
Senior Campaigns Organiser, Safe Passage
Friends Without Borders does not normally have to help unaccompanied refugee children as they are cared for by Social Services but we are always available if needed and always interested to hear what is happening.
PHISHING E-MAILS
An American supporter contacted us recently as she’d received an invoice for $2,467 attached to one of these newsletters. It was NOT from us - it was an attempted fraud. Please note we never send invoices to our supporters and only very occasionally make special appeals. Our supporter did the right thing – if you’re in any doubt please get in touch personally before you act.
ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Frances writes: "Our most successful case so far was a victim of domestic violence. She was traumatised and had no real hope that her situation would improve. She was abandoned by her parents as a child and had no home country to return to safely. She was so overwhelmed when she got the news that she could stay in the UK with her children that she ran around the building, laughing one minute, crying the next. We brought hope to that family and they are now able to live a life free from fear."
Charles writes: "We have had some very good news in relation to several clients in recent weeks, though as the office opening hours are limited to one day a week this can lead to frustrating bottlenecks for clients. There is nothing to be done about this at the moment though due to the absence of supervisory capacity. "
He adds: 'One of our Access to Justice clients recently received some good news about his leave to remain status from the Home Office after a very long wait. We would like to thank Stephen Morgan MP and his team for their assistance in chasing this up and speeding up the process. Penny Mordaunt's office have also provided valuable assistance to another of our clients recently. It is hugely helpful for the work we do to have responsive and efficient local MPs, so a sincere thank you to them from us for their support.'
Michael writes: It would be wonderful to get a volunteer with a background in immigration law to expand the service.
Charles writes: "We have had some very good news in relation to several clients in recent weeks, though as the office opening hours are limited to one day a week this can lead to frustrating bottlenecks for clients. There is nothing to be done about this at the moment though due to the absence of supervisory capacity. "
He adds: 'One of our Access to Justice clients recently received some good news about his leave to remain status from the Home Office after a very long wait. We would like to thank Stephen Morgan MP and his team for their assistance in chasing this up and speeding up the process. Penny Mordaunt's office have also provided valuable assistance to another of our clients recently. It is hugely helpful for the work we do to have responsive and efficient local MPs, so a sincere thank you to them from us for their support.'
Michael writes: It would be wonderful to get a volunteer with a background in immigration law to expand the service.
JOHN COZENS
It is sad to have to tell you that our wonderful computer man, John Cozens, died peacefully at home on 18th December at 59.
John was extremely knowledgeable and very generous with his time. He updated and serviced all our computers in 2016 as part of the GRAIL programme. We shall miss him for his expertise but also for himself – one of those supporters who was never very high profile, didn’t come to meetings or sign petitions, but quietly gave invaluable help.
John was extremely knowledgeable and very generous with his time. He updated and serviced all our computers in 2016 as part of the GRAIL programme. We shall miss him for his expertise but also for himself – one of those supporters who was never very high profile, didn’t come to meetings or sign petitions, but quietly gave invaluable help.
PORTSMOUTH UNIVERSITY
We were recently invited to run a university seminar for a small group of students who have signed up to a unit “People on the move: migration and borders”. We were asked to speak about the work of our charity, which I did for a few minutes before handing over to three asylum seekers who each spoke very movingly about their own experience of the British system.
Afterwards all those who were able went along to a coffee shop where there was a lot of informal information exchange. A good morning - and very enlightening for the students .
Afterwards all those who were able went along to a coffee shop where there was a lot of informal information exchange. A good morning - and very enlightening for the students .
CHRISTMAS DONATION
Our Treasurer keeps a record of all the “regular” donations each month, and all the “one off” ones. We of course rely on donations to keep a number of our clients so these are very important figures.
I’m delighted to report that our Regular Donations (with gift aid) reached a record in December at nearly £1,800. It’s classed as Regular because it comes in each month and is the backbone of our finance. However there are also various “One-offs” particularly at Christmas time and this Christmas we broke the £2,500 barrier and set a record there too.
The one-offs are always high in December - which allows us to do some nice things for the clients (a Christmas Party and Christmas presents) and also builds up our reserves a bit for the following year.
A warm “Thank you” to all who contributed. The volunteers of course contribute all year round – giving their services free. Friends Without Borders has no paid staff and last year gave a record amount to destitute asylum seekers.
I’m delighted to report that our Regular Donations (with gift aid) reached a record in December at nearly £1,800. It’s classed as Regular because it comes in each month and is the backbone of our finance. However there are also various “One-offs” particularly at Christmas time and this Christmas we broke the £2,500 barrier and set a record there too.
The one-offs are always high in December - which allows us to do some nice things for the clients (a Christmas Party and Christmas presents) and also builds up our reserves a bit for the following year.
A warm “Thank you” to all who contributed. The volunteers of course contribute all year round – giving their services free. Friends Without Borders has no paid staff and last year gave a record amount to destitute asylum seekers.
CHICHESTER EVENTS FOR YOUR DIARY
Again in 2018 there will be a day long vigil for Refugee Week in Chichester Cathedral.
Strictly speaking this is not a Friends Without Borders event as Friends Without Borders is a secular charity: it is being organised privately by me as Chairman and also by the Chairman of Sanctuary in Chichester, Roger Pask. The date this year is Monday 18th June, during Refugee Week. All are welcome to join us in the Lady Chapel for silent prayer for as long or as little as they wish.
Also in June, on Saturday 2nd, there will be an evening of Poetry and Music at St Paul’s Church in Chichester, in aid of Friends Without Borders and Sanctuary in Chichester.
Strictly speaking this is not a Friends Without Borders event as Friends Without Borders is a secular charity: it is being organised privately by me as Chairman and also by the Chairman of Sanctuary in Chichester, Roger Pask. The date this year is Monday 18th June, during Refugee Week. All are welcome to join us in the Lady Chapel for silent prayer for as long or as little as they wish.
Also in June, on Saturday 2nd, there will be an evening of Poetry and Music at St Paul’s Church in Chichester, in aid of Friends Without Borders and Sanctuary in Chichester.
DROP-IN NUMBERS DOWN A BIT
We’ve noticed a bit of a fall in numbers of people attending the drop-in in recent weeks though not been able to identify quite why.
The Red Cross is no longer collecting food from Costco, which is a long drive and quite difficult to organise and that may be the reason. (Unfortunately we are told that Costco will only deal with the Red Cross so our volunteers can’t help).
A dilemma for charities like ours is that we don’t know whether to be glad or sorry about a fall in numbers! There has been no overt change in the dispersal system which sends asylum seekers to Portsmouth, my personal guess is that numbers will pick up again soon.
The Red Cross is no longer collecting food from Costco, which is a long drive and quite difficult to organise and that may be the reason. (Unfortunately we are told that Costco will only deal with the Red Cross so our volunteers can’t help).
A dilemma for charities like ours is that we don’t know whether to be glad or sorry about a fall in numbers! There has been no overt change in the dispersal system which sends asylum seekers to Portsmouth, my personal guess is that numbers will pick up again soon.
RYDE EVENT
Thursday 8 March 7pm at Aspire Ryde PO33 2BN for a special screening of Sue Clayton's film CALAIS CHILDREN. Sue’s an independent film maker - in 2016 she made a film inspired by the events of the camp at Calais being disbanded - following the fate of the children for over a year after it was closed down and out of the news.
Recently she won the London Best independent documentary award. Sue will be present for the screening and happy to take any questions later.
We are currently talking to Sue about us organising a similar event in Portsmouth and will keep you posted.
Recently she won the London Best independent documentary award. Sue will be present for the screening and happy to take any questions later.
We are currently talking to Sue about us organising a similar event in Portsmouth and will keep you posted.
