Split pot

Morning all! A split pot this week with some extremely worthy beneficiaries. A huge thanks to Becky and Denise for their wonderful nominations. Keep ‘em coming gang. If you know someone that needs a helping hand then send ‘em our way. So many people feeling the pinch at the moment and that’s exactly why we’re here. Fivehundredreasons@hotmail.com

Here are the nominations in full: 

Dear 500 gang,

Hello! I'm Becky Dell, the Musical Director of Citizens of the World Choir (a choir for refugees and allies) and I'd like to nominate two of our most cherished members, Gabriel and Sisika, for essential housing support. They would use the £500 to buy beds, chairs and a dining table, white goods and essential supplies for their new unfurnished Council home. 

This remarkable elderly couple has become the beating heart of our community since joining us in 2023.

Gabriel and Sisika's journey from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, began with eight years in a refugee camp before arriving in the UK in 2014. What followed was an agonizing eight-year wait for refugee status - two rejections, monthly Home Office reporting that kept Sisika awake with deportation fears, and the gradual wearing down that comes with prolonged uncertainty. 

Within our community, they're invaluable contributors. Sisika used to be a television presenter for children and women's health shows in DRC and offered her expertise to help us create social media content for the choir - her professional expertise and natural warmth bringing our stories to life online.

Gabriel, with his background as a Reverend Pastor and genuinely caring demeanour, has become an essential part of our Welcome Team, greeting newcomers with the kind of understanding that can only come from someone who has walked the same difficult path.

Both in their 70s, they embody the spirit of mutual aid that defines our community. Always the first to offer comfort to newly arrived asylum seekers, they provide something irreplaceable - the living proof that hope can survive even the longest winters of uncertainty.

Now newly housed in an unfurnished Barnet council flat, surviving on minimal pensions, they face the challenge of creating a home from nothing. Their age prevents traditional employment and we'd like to be able to support them with buying white goods and furnishings. 

This funding would support two individuals who've already given immeasurably to our community and continue to be pillars of strength for others navigating similar journeys.

We hope this nomination is successful, and thank you for the previous successful nominations for refugees within our community. 

You might remember one of the previous successful nominations, AQ, who you helped when he first went to Cambridge University. He is about to complete his finals on June 20th (next month!). 

Many thanks for all your work. 

Becky x

 

Dearest friends, 

I would like to nominate the Access Bike project which does brilliant work with young people in Stroud.

 “Access Bike provides a space where young people come together to build, repair and up-cycle old bikes in a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive youth space.

We provide free access to our workshop space, work-stands, tools, and mechanic support.

We support hundreds of 13-25 year-olds each year, and we talk to them 1:1 and in small groups to hear their ideas for the project and their feedback on activities we have organised.

We have found it increasingly difficult to cover the costs of the project through grant funding in recent years. With a context of cuts to government spending, there is higher competition for relevant grants. We’ve increased the amount of money we earn through selling refurbished bikes and new parts and accessories through the Creative Sustainability shopfront space at 10 John St – but this year there’s still a gap, which we need our supporters to fill.”

James’s video provides more information on how Access Bike makes a difference to the lives of young people.

Please support the Access Bike crowdfunder at https://www.spacehive.com/access-bike