Launched in early September, HBTSR aims to provide a welcome for refugees in our local communities. We are urging government at town and county council level, the Welsh Assembly and UK Governments to commit to welcome specific minimum quotas of refugees and to provide and fund the welcome and services they will require to recuperate, settle and become valued members of local communities … as well as to return to their home countries if they wish and when that is possible.
We have decided to focus our efforts on establishing a Sanctuary programme, which can offer relatively short-term respite stays for individual refugees or families, with practical help to recover their health, acquire clothing and essentials, take English language classes and have access to health care, counselling and support.
We are not at present collecting material aid, as the logistics of collecting appropriate items and transporting them to camps such as the one at Calais are too onerous for us to undertake. Instead we tell supporters that ‘Cash is Kinder’ –because it is easier to collect, transfer and ensure that it reaches the point of need. Until we can establish our own fund, we suggest donations be sent to Refugee Action or any of the established national charities which have an emergency appeal for the refugee crisis.
But we are very interested in receiving offers of temporary accommodation, transport, health and mental health care from skills, English language tuition and any other relevant experience.
Please contact: hbts4refugees@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook under ‘Hay, Brecon & Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees’.