Last week marked Refugee Week 2025, for which we celebrated ‘Community As A Superpower’.
Across England & Wales we celebrated the generosity of volunteers who have welcomed and supported refugee families settle into their new life in the UK. One such example is that of the Community Sponsorship group based in the Diocese of Plymouth, Blandford Welcome Group.
Blandford, a beautiful ancient market town in Dorset, recorded in the Domesday Book, seems far removed from conflict and persecution today, but the local people have proven that distance is no object to love and compassion for our fellow man. The town welcomed a family fleeing conflict in their home nation, thanks to the superb efforts of the Blandford Welcome Group (BWG), formed under the Community Sponsorship scheme. The beauty of the town and surrounding countryside are matched by the warmth of the group, led by the Catholic parishioners of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Cecilia.
The group was moved to act in response to the Syrian refugee crisis and found a way to express their compassion and faith in action after hearing about Community Sponsorship from lead sponsor, Caritas Plymouth. A member of BWG reported that forming the group brought people together in friendship and had a very positive impact on parish life, enlivening the wider community with enjoyable shared fund-raising activities.
The group has enjoyed the cross-cultural learning from the family and having the opportunity to fulfil a practical role in working to solve a far greater problem: “We had the benefit of feeling we were making a strong, if very small, difference to the global refugee crisis”. Of course, the biggest impact of all was for the family members, who were brought to a place of safety and helped to settle and thrive here.
The two-year support period for the family has come to an end now, but the family has stayed in the town and remains in touch with the group in friendship. BWG, meanwhile, remains ready to work together to help the wider community where needs arise.
You can read other testimonies from Community Sponsorship groups on our site: https://www.csan.org.uk/story/stories-of-community-sponsorship/
Image: courtesy of Caritas Plymouth
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