Category Archives: In the Community

During the Summer many of the friends in our community organised their own trips to the seaside, local parks and in some cases to visit family in other countries. As the original Syrian families who came to Colchester under the Vulnerable Persons Scheme become more familiar with this country, and our town, we are getting […]

Since Jan has been supporting play at our monthly meetings at Firstsite there has been an increase in the amount of children asking their parents to come to these meetings… Children often arrive asking ‘where is Jan?’ – she welcomes them in a way that shows where training and expertise meet real life and offers […]

Mid-August and children start to long to return to school and parents wonder how they can keep them entertained… Then Greenleaf Forest School offer a free day of fun at Highwoods Country Park and the world becomes a lot brighter. 22 children and their parents and friends came along and we enjoyed the shade of […]

Do you run a caring local business? Could you help us out by placing one of our collecting tins in your reception area or next to the till? We will make every penny donated count! There are plenty of other ways in which your business could help us to improve the lives of others in […]

2.6 million people currently live in refugee camps around the world. These displaced people are stuck – unable to find somewhere safe to settle and earn a livelihood, but simply unable to go home. In the camps, refugees are surviving on meagre food supplies, sub-standard healthcare and in appalling conditions. Which is why one of […]

Community, sanctuary and delicious results Ghaliya and her husband Zak run a catering business called White Gardenia. They cook home-made, traditional Syrian cuisine that’s utterly delicious. Food from Syria is very Mediterranean with fresh salads, grilled meat, hummus, falafel and other mezze-style dishes. The couple are building a new life in Brightlingsea, where they were […]

You’ve got 20 minutes to pack a bag and flee your home. What do you take? This is a question we ask primary school children on our workshops as part of the Tendring Junior Ambassadors programme – and to be honest, your iPad won’t keep you warm at night! We’ve spoken to more than 600 children […]

‘Bless the teachers!‘ Faith would love to work with children, but reckons being a teacher looks so difficult these days! She can’t work at all, however, because the Home Office has been processing her Leave to Remain application for almost two years, and she hasn’t even had an acknowledgement from them. She’s lived in Colchester […]

Heja, her husband Jutyar, baby Lauand and Liz haven’t known each other long, but they are family. Maybe not a traditional family, but there’s a lot of love here. Liz came along to one of our community events at Firstsite a few months ago and met Heja, a young mum from Iraq. Since then, the […]