Walk, Jog, or Run it 03 – 04 September 2022 Take on some of England’s finest scenery as a Walk, Jog, or a Run! An Eastbourne start, up Beachy Head, over the magnificent Seven Sisters, and along the famous South Downs Way National Trail with stunning views over the sea to a Brighton mid-point. Devil’s Dyke, welcome rest stops, a few ups & downs all lie ahead before historic Arundel comes into view after an 100km amazing journey. There are half challenge and 25km quarter challenge options – so make it your challenge, your way! Your entry includes free food and drink at regular rest stops ..read more

Ian has just returned from volunteering in Cyprus and that is now his 5th volunteering trip for Refugee Support since 2017! He has just written about that experience and appears as one of our Volunteer Stories. Having done a lot of volunteering for other organisations, he liked the structure at Refugee Support. But that’s not what keeps him coming back – it’s the people. We loved hearing what he had to say about that in our latest Selfish Altruist podcast: Have a listen to Ian and Paul discuss why it is also important to listen to those we are supporting. It is inspiring but also a way for th ..read more

Week 2 In Cyprus It’s my second week at the Dignity Centre in Nicosia and I continue to learn lots. My French has not improved though but my confidence at saying: “merci”, “bonjour” and “no parlez vous François” has! Had my first Spanish speaker this week, a young woman from the Dominican Republic and honestly I could have kissed her. So good to speak my limited Spanish and know I could understand her! This week feels like it has gone from the ridiculous to the sublime as the charity has stopped taking new registrations so the Centre was very quiet. …Saying No! Last week we were completely ‘fu ..read more

First week in Nicosia Cyprus I arrived late on Monday having flown to Paphos from Manchester, which is a few hours by bus from Nicosia in the North of the Island. I immediately went to the Dignity Centre which is located just off the main shopping street in the old town of Nicosia, very close to a crossing point into the Turkish side of the island. It was easy to find the Centre from the bus station mainly because I asked some Nigerian people who were chatting near the bus. They took my bag and walked me directly to the Centre, which they knew very well. As the week has progressed I have reali ..read more

Volunteering means giving your time and using your abilities to help others without expecting financial compensation. Though it can be difficult to find time to volunteer when we have busy lives, volunteering can make a positive impact on our lives and on those people we help. Volunteering can help you make new friends and connect with your community. Besides developing your social skills, you will also meet other volunteers who share your common interests and values. Being from different cultures, you can enrich each other’s experiences, create meaningful relationships, and help build a harmo ..read more

Our Trustee for Volunteers, Bethan Edwards, first volunteered to help refugees in 2015 with a very active local group in North Wales: Pobl I Bobl. Together they have sent donations around the world and have resettled Syrian families in her area. She then went on to volunteer for Refugee Support in Cyprus and when she returned, took over the recruitment of new volunteers for us. What shines through from this conversation is the importance of community and what people can do when they come together. It can be hard work but you get such rewarding results and the people you meet make it all worthw ..read more

“Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us – except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.” Khaled Hosseini Every human being, regardless of nationality and citizenship, is born free and equal in dignity and in rights. So of course that includes people who are refugees. We believe in a world where all refugees can lead a life with dignity. At an abstract level that means respecting everyone’s intrinsic and equal value. When put into practice, it means a life lived under decent ..read more

Our last Dignify event in 2019 was an enormous success so we didn’t change the formula: lovely people enjoying a great line-up of live bands and comedy entertainment at the iconic Bedford all for a good cause. Covid ruined all of our plans in 2020 so this was a critical event on our fundraising calendar and our supporters didn’t let us down: we raised £62,265!!! (That smashes our 2019 total of £50,000). Much of that comes from generous sponsors including the great people at Talon Outdoor. For the second time, The Bedford  provided the space for free and donated cash. They also have the be ..read more

We are delighted to welcome great friend of Refugee Support Bethan Edwards to our Trustee team, with responsibility for volunteer relations. Ever since she volunteered with us in Cyprus 2 years ago, she has been been central to our volunteer recruitment. There is no-one better who can help us keep volunteers at the heart of what we do. We are so lucky to have Bethan on the team: I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the image of Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Turkish beach back in 2015 spurred me into action. At the time, my sons were of a similar age to the young Syrian boy and I couldn’t ..read more

Bella gives such an intelligent account of her volunteering that manages to recognise what a rewarding experience it was for her, while also prioritising the livelihoods of people. Bella is 24 and first volunteered with us in 2018 after her first year of university. She is half-Maltese so has a strong family connection to the experience of immigration and wanted to help. Before that first trip, was not sure about volunteering but the experience bowled her over. Since then, she has completed 14 weeks of volunteering over 4 trips and been running our successful Instagram account for the last 2 y ..read more