How can I help?
There are many ways to get involved, all of them very rewarding.
Those that have already been part of Westbury Welcome talk about the positive impact on their own lives, as well as the encouragement of seeing the lives of refugee families change for the better.
As a volunteer, your purpose is to empower the family to be able to live independently. Volunteering can be as varied as doing some gardening before the family arrives, teaching an English lesson, providing transport to a dental appointment, helping the family navigate the benefit system or spending an hour a week simply chatting with them.
Read what Eveline has to say about Community Sponsorship at
Before and after a family arrives we need many types of practical gifts, from furniture to toys and bikes. We usually put out requests on social media when we need something, or you can join our mailing list by emailing westburywelcome@gmail.com or filling in the form on our contact us page.
If you’d like to volunteer…
Get in touch via our contact page - we’d love to talk to you about how you can help. Once we’ve met and discussed what you can offer, there are a few practical things we’ll need to do.
• You will need to complete a short application form
• The safeguarding of the families we support and the safety of our volunteers are of greatest importance. That’s why you’ll also be required to have an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.
• You’ll also need to attend a level 2 safeguarding course (the DBS check and safeguarding course will be arranged by us, free of charge).
• There is the opportunity to receive some cultural training, along with training on how to be a volunteer. This includes access to our Volunteer Handbook, which gives a step-by-step guide to what it means to be a Westbury Welcome volunteer.
If you have any questions about the volunteer sign-up process you can speak confidentially to our designated safeguarding lead, Sarah-Jane Marriott by emailing westburywelcome@gmail.com and asking for her contact details.
“It has been great to get to know this family, especially the Mum by shopping with her. The volunteers have especially enjoyed visiting the shops in Stapleton Road where we have been introduced to lots of new foods.”
A shopping volunteer
“For the accompanying volunteers who shared the fun, the enjoyment and the sense of wonder etched on the faces of individual family members who were experiencing most things for the first time, it has been truly heart-warming.”
A Westbury Welcome volunteer
