Dorking Refugee Support was set up in 2015 by Constance Chanteux-Nash, however she had to step down from leading the coordination of the group in November 2021 due to other commitments, although she continues to act as a volunteer and advisor.
The main coordinator of this group is now Angela Benny, a Bookham resident who went to school in Dorking. She is supported by Jane Hibben, a Leatherhead resident who is an admin on the DRS Facebook site. There are a small group of volunteers based in and around Dorking who step up to deal with ad hoc requests, but we are keen for more active volunteers to help us along the way. Contact us on [email protected] if you would like to be involved - we are always on the lookout for new ideas on how best to support the refugee population in the Mole Valley area.
Sussex Aid for Refugees : https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=sussex%20aid%20for%20refugees
Refugees living in Guildford Borough Council
Collaboration with Guildford Refugee Aid
Discussions are ongoing between DRS and Caroline Burnett who runs Guildford Refugee Aid so that we can better understand what support is needed. Unlike our Ukrainian guests, this population of refugees is not permitted to work whilst their asylum applications are being processed. They are all families (different nationalities) whose children are now settled in local schools. Support is needed for the adults who have little money and a lot of time on their hands. Are there any opportunities for voluntary work that could help get them out and about and make them feel part of the community? Transport is a challenge due to lack of funds so it would need to be accessible for them. Watch this space for updates as I learn more about how we could help.
MOST NEEDED
The urgent and important thing to find at present is very difficult to find: self contained empty properties. Those are desperately needed by the local councils if they are to welcome more Afghan families. If you own an empty property locally, you can rent it out to MVDC (or Reigate-Banstead Council): the commitment is 2 years minimum, but it will be the councils paying the rent, the rates may not be the private market ones, but they will be made more interesting as there will be no agency fees. If you are in a position to rent your property, please contact us urgently or contact the Council team directly: [email protected] If you have any questions about this, you can contact us and we will put you in touch with Jo, who has been renting out 2 properties that way for the past years and said the is happy to answer your questions.
Other requests from the local Council teams: Farsi, Dari, Pashto Speakers: if you master one of these languages, and can volunteer some of your time, please contact us or reach out directly to the council team: [email protected] 'Hard Furniture': (Tables, chairs, etc): the council will be working with Besom, so if you have items to donate, contact their team at: [email protected]
OTHER URGENT NEEDS: Fostering and 'Supported lodgings' carers for under 21 asylum seekers. Here is the message Rosie shared at the meeting: For further information please contact [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also contact me directly at: [email protected] if you would like to. We are more than happy to answer any questions you have or have conversations with you about potentially becoming a Foster Care or Supported Lodgings Carer! There is lots of support on an ongoing basis for all carers as well as training opportunities. Thank you! I will remain until the end of the evening if anyone does have any questions. Please make contact with me/us via the email addressses provided if you would like some further information. If you have questions about what it is like to foster a young asylum seeker, contact us and we will put you in touch with Louise, who has been a foster mum for 4 years and he happy to answer your questions.
HOSTING: If you would like to know more about the hosting scheme (welcoming adult isolated refugees and asylum seekers), please email us (Subject: Hosting), and we will email you back with a date for a future meeting specially on that topic.
COLLECTIONS
We are not running any collections currently as we are looking to secure appropriate drop off points in Dorking, Leatherhead and Bookham.