Our story so far

Westbury Welcome was started in the summer of 2017 by a group of volunteers in and around Westbury-on-Trym. We committed to welcoming a refugee family into the area through the government’s Community Sponsorship programme; under the guidance of the Home Office; in cooperation with Bristol City Council; and in partnership with national charities Citizens UK and Sponsor Refugees.

We were responsible for raising funds, finding and furnishing affordable (private) accommodation, and for helping the family to settle in when they arrived.

Focused on encouraging a family’s independence

We’re a group of volunteers who, using a variety of experience and skills, developed a package of wrap-around support for a family, that would kick in from the moment the family landed at the airport and continue for at least two years. This support includes assistance with language learning, finding schools and navigating the health system, along with getting used to our city and life in Britain.

In September 2018, details of a Syrian family, who were refugees in Jordan, were selected by UNHCR and the Home Office and sent to us. We agreed that we would support this family, and they arrived on a cold, wet and windy day at the end of November 2018. We are delighted to say that we welcomed a second family in February 2021.  

We are also working alongside Bristol City Council to support and befriend an Afghan family who came to the UK in the summer of 2021.

We are also sponsoring and supporting an Ukrainian family through the Homes for Ukraine scheme and are helping to support the Ukrainian Hub that has been set up in Westbury-on-Trym to support Ukrainian guests and hosts.

Sponsoring refugee families transforms lives. Not just the lives of the members of the family as we help them towards a safer, more secure future; but also the lives of people in the community, as we work together.