We have been fund raising for Skipton Refugee Families. They do a huge amount of work, especially taking children out. Here is the latest newsletter from them which gives a flavour of what they do.
Dear Supporters,
Here is our latest newsletter to keep you all up to speed with what is happening.
A very successful fundraiser took place at the Quaker Meeting House in March, organised by Angie, Jette, Chris and Lorna. Enormous thanks to these proactive women! Angie also received some positive news about funding bids she applied for on our behalf, so we are indebted to Angie for her dedication.
As Eid corresponded roughly to the school Easter holidays, we offered each family the chance to organise their own family day out and claim some expenses. This meant that some of our families enjoyed sessions at FlipOut and Insane Air in Bradford, plus a snooker session at the Matrix.
During the holidays, we took a group of children for a picnic by the river in Gargrave. A 3-year-old girl and her mother enjoyed their first visit to a soft play centre in Barnoldswick. At lambing time, we got permission from an Embsay farmer to take 8 children to see some of their new-born lambs.
12 children also went to see The Magic Faraway Tree at Skipton Plaza cinema and had a wonderful time.
Over the past two weeks, 3 children have been on the Treetop Adventure Trail behind the swimming pool in Skipton as a birthday treat and a Syrian boy has been offered funds to enable him to go on a residential trip with his school, which will significantly help his confidence and cement peer group friendships.
Following an appeal for old laptops and tablets to be given to Solidaritech (a charity which repairs and restores electronic devices), they have given us a refurbished tablet to help an Afghan boy with his homework tasks.
Last night, one of our families did some outside catering at Embsay Music Festival, braving a very cold, windy evening on a hillside, serving delicious Afghan food to lots of hungry customers. It is hoped that they may be invited to do the same for Skipton Festival.
In the near future, we will be taking a large Afghan family for a camping weekend and we have bought train tickets for 2 Syrian men to have a trip to London. Later this month, we will take a group of children to the Alhambra in Bradford to see The Boy at the Back of the Class. It will be a real event for them to visit a proper theatre for the first time.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
- There are plans afoot for many more activities during the summer holidays, so let us know if you would like to be involved!
- 2 boys aged 15 would be very grateful to receive a second-hand adult sized bike, if you have any old ones you don’t use.
- A Syrian boy aged 15 currently needs help revising for his mock GCSEs.
- If you have any crafting skills, consider running a 2 hour workshop for women and older girls. We can rent a space very cheaply.
Thank you for reading our latest update!Best wishes,Margaret & Julie