Volunteer

“I love coming each Thursday with the other volunteers who come from all backgrounds, some from different faiths or no faith, some UK born, some with UK citizenship, some refugees, and some asylum seekers.

 

We form a team and all work together to provide a smile, welcome, food and signposting and other support. It is a privilege to be part of someone’s journey from despair and fear having left their homeland to being given leave to remain and a chance of a new life with hopes and dreams in the UK. It is also a privilege to share in people’s despair and disappointments as their application may have many difficulties along the way.

 

My role is in helping with the food parcels which we hand out to asylum seekers. It can be quite stressful at times juggling requests for help with language barriers and demand, but there is a team of us, and we support and help each other and usually someone can be found to help translate.”

Bridget B.

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“To be a volunteer at Open Doors has been an amazing experience and a privilege. I have shared moments of great joy and great sorrow, made many short term and lifelong friends and received fantastic hospitality. I have always felt supported and encouraged by everyone at the Project. Thank you for the vision and answer to prayer.”

Jean R.

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“For all their differences, these are PEOPLE, who all have the same desires as us: to be safe, to make a go of it here, and to support their families. As volunteers, we try to value them, to welcome them in, to listen to them (Google Translate on our mobiles can help with that, or else there is usually another client around who can speak their language and interpret for us), and to support them.

 

They are always anxious, and you can often see what they have gone through on their faces, as they struggle to adjust and to lift their heads back up again. Often, they disappear after only a few weeks or months, moved on by the Home Office, but if we are lucky, we can stay in touch by email or text. And we share the joy of clients who are accepted and given leave to remain, who then get back on their own feet, find a job and accommodation, and who come back, head held high and a glint in their eye.”

 

Chris and Kathy 

 

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