This year hundreds of people seeking asylum in the UK arrived in York and were placed in a hotel. Those people arrived with little to nothing, help and support was needed and Refugee Action York (RAY) stepped up to aid. RAY’s vision is for all refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to be welcomed and fully accepted into local and regional communities, where they can feel safe and empowered to rebuild their lives.
Initially, Refugee Action York (RAY) were trying to meet the need for clothes by providing a clothing package which contained a few essential items like T-shirts, trousers, jumpers etc. Nonetheless, it became clear that the conventional approach of providing prepackaged clothing boxes had limitations. The mismatched sizes and styles failed to meet the unique needs of individuals. Godfrey, who was helping with the clothing package delivery at the time, noticed a new method operating in Bristol that would allow individuals to chose the garments they like with dignity and presented his idea to RAY. Six months later the clothes bank pilot for ‘Central Store’ was launched.
Work began to collect, sort and quality check the clothes by Godfrey, his partner, Judy and One Voice York at the Belfry and Clifton Methodist Church. RAY assembled a fantastic team to support the project with management and volunteer coordination, and devised a system to monitor requirements and arrange ‘store’ days for asylum seekers to access the Central Store as well as secure funding for the pilot project. RAY’s incredible volunteers were the final part of the jigsaw to bring the whole project to life. The team welcomed customers, managed the store and assisted customers with finding the clothes they needed.
Working in partnership and collaboration with each other Central Store was setup at the well positioned Central Methodist Church.
The store welcomed customers referred from Refugee Action York (RAY) and throughout their time operating served over 400 customers, distributed over 6000 items and held 39 distribution sessions. An incredible achievement, helping many lives.
Central Store has now come to an end and celebrations have been held to mark this success of the store and to recognise all of the volunteers who dedicated their time and devotion to making this project work and supporting the refugees. A true sense of achievement and collaboration was felt at the event.
At the celebration Project Worker, David from RAY who led the project, said, during his time working at the Central Store he witnessed and heard some truly heartwarming moments. From children finding their perfect pair of shoes, to a mother feeling warm and cosy in her new coat. Listening to the people he heard one customer say, “we had come here with nothing, now we are leaving with everything!”
The six-month project has now come to an end after a shortage of demand for the service. However, RAY have kept some emergency packs of clothing for people seeking asylum, there is also a leaflet available explaining what charity shops and boot fairs are and how to access those. To find out more visit: www.refugeeactionyork.org
York CVS have been a proud supporter of this project.
If your organisation needs any support to secure funding please get in touch with Jane Granville, York CVS Funding and Development Officer at jane.granville@yorkcvs.org.uk.