West Hampstead Welcomes is a group of friends and neighbours who have come together to bring a refugee family to live in our community through the government's Community Sponsorship Scheme.

In addition to providing a home, the group, all volunteers, will support the family in all their immediate needs. WHW will help them access schools and colleges, register with a doctor, learn English, find work, navigate London, in fact, everything necessary to help them adjust to life and succeed in the UK.

Through the generosity of a local landlord we have already found a home in the heart of West Hampstead and we hope to welcome a family early in 2020. 

Why do we need to raise money? Finding a property for the family is just the first step. West Hampstead Welcomes must raise money to furnish and kit out the flat and fill it with food and comforts for the family's arrival. We will also need to support them in the early months and will have to pay for additional English lessons so they can learn quickly and integrate more rapidly; for childcare so the adults can attend the classes; for bus passes to help them get to there. We need to make sure the family has a basic laptop and mobile phones. We need to pay for interpreters to accompany them to doctor's appointments, school meetings, the bank and job centre. 

To help us achieve this we’re counting on you! 

Please donate generously to help us resettle a refugee family in our wonderful West Hampstead!

Thank you!

WHW has affiliated with one of the most experienced organisations in the country to make this happen - the community action charity, Citizens UK. Citizens UK has already helped many local groups bring refugee families to the UK under Community Sponsorship and to date has resettled 397 refugees in communities up and down the country.

Donations raised on this page go first to Citizens UK who pass them directly on to us at WHW (with added gift aid if the donor is a UK taxpayer).

All funds raised will go directly towards the sponsorship of refugee families settling in local communities, and supporting those families through the resettlement process.

Email us: wh.welcomes@gmail.com 

We would love to hear from you. Whether you have a particular skill or just a little time to give, please get in touch.

Follow our journey on Twitter: @WH_Welcomes

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.