F our coaches, 217 families, 47 footballers, other users including and staff, enjoyed a lovely day out in Llandudno.

The sun shone and it was a perfect day to be on the beach.

A huge thank you to those who once again made this day out financially possible.

Khattab Waking in the morning, Khattab wonders if today will bring a letter from the Home Office. He has waited six years and the last letter merely informed him he was being moved to Stoke.

Once a week he offers a haircut to whoever wants one. This helps him to feel better about himself and

others to feel smarter.

It is better not to think of his family in the disputed Sinjar district in Iraqi Kurdistan. His village is destroyed, and his family scattered. As time passes his hopes for a family of his own, a job, and a normal life fade. His soul and body hurts. It helps that he is also a registered Asha volunteer. He attends at least twice a week to do whatever task needs doing, whether it is welcoming new arrivals, interpreting, or thanking donors who deliver food and clothing.

FILL THE SKIES WITH HOPE Friday 23 September is a Day of Action to launch a new campaign to urge the new Prime Minister to change course on the government’s policy to banish refugees to Rwanda. It will run until 9 November 2022. It was timed for after the announcement of the new Prime Minister, and ahead of the party conferences where Together with Refugees will host fringe meetings to engage both main parties on how we treat refugees.

Together with Refugees hopes groups will join others across the country to Fill the Skies with Hope, making and sending orange heart-shaped paper planes with their messages to the new Prime Minister. 

NATIONAL DEVICE BANK Through a network of community organisations, of whom Asha is one, the Good Things Foundation is building a National Device Bank to help people to ‘get connected.’ Asha has been given 90 data Sim cards with unlimited calls and messaging services for one year, to distribute to users so they can access online services.

In addition, volunteer Chris Chambers secured 11 tablets from the government’s Community Renewal Fund which was awarded to a joint group of organisations including the NHS, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Wavemaker and Staffordshire University to help digitally excluded people with limited of no access to equipment or connectivity. Ben McManus from Wavemaker, who previously facilitated digital training workshops for Asha users, conducted a training workshop for the 11 recipients of Chromebooks to ensure that they obtain best value from their use. This was funded by the NHS: the Technology Steering Group of Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups. The aim is to enable better take up of online NHS services. Keita, Asha’s Digital Health Support Worker, is on hand to iron out any difficulties and roll out the learning amongst other asylum seekers.

Asha needs helpers for the Saturday morning Women and Children groups, Tuesday Mums and Babies, Food collections, and teaching conversational English.