Our services are designed to help refugees & asylum seekers fully intergrate into our community, helping them to build new, successful lives and relationships.
There is much that we can learn from each other, and we believe it is as important to give our members opportunities to show off their skills as it is to help teach them new ones.
We use art to reduce stress and emotional pain. We are keen to ensure that clients create art without self judgement, and advocate the use of art to help our clients create a picture of their hopes and dreams, increase confidence and self awareness as well as accessing the subconscious mind and change limiting patterns and beliefs.
Our art therapists join us on placement from the University of Chester.
Our community kitchen is the heart of our Drop-in Centre. We have regular cooks and guest cooks every week who delight us with dishes from around the world!
Three times a week, we all sit down together for a communal meal after the English class, and this is where the magic really happens and people from different backgrounds and cultures get to know each other and make friends.
Cleaning up after lunch is also a communal effort! It’s all hands on deck to wash up, but as we have a Level 5 Food Hygiene rating there are always trained staff in the kitchen for each session.
With funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we have been able to provide workshops and open sessions to improve digital connectivity.
This funding has enabled us to improve our broadband and purchase new laptops for our members to use when they attend our centre.
We now deliver weekly sessions for members to create CVs, complete job searches, improve their keyboard skills and learn how to use software packages such as Microsoft and Google.
Providing digital sessions is a game-changer for members who face digital exclusion. These sessions open up opportunities for learning, accessing services, and staying connected with the world. In today’s digital society, skills like navigating online platforms, accessing virtual support services, applying for jobs and learning new digital skills are essential.
Our Drop-in Centre is open three days a week to provide a safe and welcome space for asylum seekers and refugees to meet, gather and enjoy any of our well-being activities, our garden, English classes and homemade food.
Our Drop-in is warm in winter and cool in summer and the perfect place for new arrivals to meet others and make friends. Each Monday, Wednesday & Friday (9am-3pm) we offer a hot lunch cooked by our community that we serve at Grange Baptist Church, Whetstone Lane, CH41 2QS.
We provide a safe place for families seeking asylum and refugees to make friends, seek help and get involved in our community. We have plenty of games and activities to keep you busy.
We are funded by the Wirral Family Toolbox to provide support for families with children under five. We support over 50 families including many women who are single parents. We have a team of volunteers led by our Early Years Outreach Coordinator.
The Early Years Community Outreach Team offers home visits to support refugee and asylum families where there are antenatal mums, babies and/or pre-school children. The main focus of our work is to offer practical and emotional support to families, helping them to build confidence and to access our Drop-in Centre.
Practical support is usually in the form of providing pregnant and new mums with all the necessary baby equipment that they require, and later providing good quality clothing for children right up to school entry and beyond if necessary.
We also provide nappies, wipes and toiletries at our weekly ‘Stay and Play’ sessions, as well as developmental toys and books. These sessions are every Thursday, 9:30-11am, at the Drop-in Centre.
Emotional support is offered through encouraging mums to attend our Thursday morning and general Drop-in sessions, accompanying them to hospital and other appointments, and generally offering them a ‘listening ear’ when needed.
Referrals in to our team come from a variety of sources such as midwives, health visitors, children’s centres, local churches, and of course, word of mouth.
We deliver nine English classes per week, running on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. These classes are also valuable to those who may not be permanently based on the Wirral, but it gives some basic English skills before they move on.
Funding from Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services has allowed us to purchase essential materials for these classes.
No registration necessary. We fill a gap for those waiting for a college place and our classes cover three levels starting with absolute beginners.
Email us for more information at enquiries@aheart4refugees.org or just pop in.
Our volunteer teaching team is made up of ESOL, History, English and Primary teachers giving a broad range of teaching experience.
Thanks to the Government Household Support fund, we are able to provide support through food parcels for families in need within our community.
We have a dedicated member of staff who leads a small team of volunteers to source, pack and deliver food parcels, with fresh and useful ingredients. We also help with household and kitchen items and small items of furniture through donations.
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We run a small shop at our Drop-in Centre where members can purchase second hand clothing and household items for 50p per item. This is a very popular corner of the Drop-in and is run by a team of our member volunteers.
In 2023, thanks to funding from the Community Foundation for Merseyside Liverpool One Greener Spaces Fund, we transformed the outdoor space at our Drop-in Centre to create a community growing space for vegetables and for enjoying the warm summer air. This project, ‘Sow Together, Grow Together’, brought people together building, planning and planting and was a 100% community effort.
Beyond our own community, we partnered with Spider Project who helped us create outdoor seating from pallets, our members then painted them, along with the LIPA students who joined us for an entirely different project, and WEM helped us with the construction of our planters and raised beds.
Our sewing room provides access to fully working and serviced sewing machines and weekly lessons for those who want to learn how to sew. We also have members who can do repairs and anyone who can sew already is welcome to use the machines when we are open.
Our yoga teacher gives our members the opportunity to switch off from their worries for one hour of blissful tranquility.
This much sought after class takes place every Friday 1:30-2:30pm
