BHN Winter Newsletter 2016

BHN Winter Newsletter

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Dear <<First Name>>,

Thanks for being a part of Bristol Hospitality Network!

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to look back on what we've all achieved together. Throughout the year we've enjoyed many meals and conversations together, both at our popular Monday lunchtime 'Welcome Centre', on Monday evenings at our weekly house meal and at other events and parties through the year. These meals together and the friendships formed through them have always been at the heart of BHN & provide some much needed encouragement for all of us.

Many people have found support this year through our continued offer of solidarity to people in Bristol. For some people, having a stable place to live with BHN has enabled them to pursue their claim for asylum and to be granted leave to remain in the UK with the right to live and work in our city. For others still stuck in a cycle of destitution, BHN continues to provide support through financial support, a safe place to live, sharing meals, volunteering opportunities, plus vital advocacy and help to enable people to move forward with resolving the issues and navigating the faceless bureaucratic systems that have often led them to become destitute.

Our network is what we all make it. In 2016 at least 100 people have volunteered their time with BHN which is a sign of how the network is growing. Many generous people have supported BHN financially or in other ways. So thank you for the part that you have played in BHN this year. It really is the commitment and contributions of every single person in the network that makes this a special organisation to be part of, so much so that some people describe BHN as feeling like being 'part of a family'.

So whether you have volunteered your time, used your skills, kept in touch with our newsletters, donated money, hosted someone in your home, given advice or support, cooked food, joined in a meal, taken part in an event, taken the time to have a conversation or played your part in any other way - we all offer you our thanks.

We wish you a hopeful new year and hope that you will join us as we continue our journey together in 2017.

BHN Meal Deal Campaign

We are launching our most ambitious fundraising campaign to date and we want your help.

We want you to support us by regularly giving a small donation that will make a huge difference in the lives of people seeking safety in Bristol. We are not asking much, only the equivalent to a coffee or a quick lunch option would make a massive difference to us and our members. That’s why we are calling this campaign the Meal Deal!

Our aim is to raise £500 pounds worth of regular donations by June 2017, to allow us to keep providing spaces of safety and solidarity for asylum seekers in Bristol. Many people ask us what we need the most, and although we are extremely thankful for every donation and time taken to support us, regular donations allows us to plan ahead and to grow consistently according to the needs of our members.

Could you give up the equivalent of a …

A large coffee – £3
A sandwich and a coffee – £5
A sit-down meal – £10

… a month to support asylum seekers in need of solidarity in Bristol?

If we reach our goal, we would like to invite everyone who got involved in this campaign to a Summer Barbeque Extravaganza! Date and location to be confirmed depending on how many we are!

Click here to sign up today!

We are recruiting: Finance Manager

We are looking for an experienced Finance Manager to join our dedicated staff and volunteers team. We currently have a part-time Manager only but hope to grow further in staffing over the coming year.

The role is 2 days per week (one day must be a Monday when our welcome centre is open). Use of a computer is available and appropriate software for book-keeping etc. Funding permitting, this role could increase as the organisation grows further.

Applications open on the 1st December 2016 and close on the 20th December 2016. Interviews will be held in mid-January 2017 for an expected start date as soon as possible afterwards.

Click here to find out more.

Thank you Sam!

Sam has been a host at our men's hostel since Summer, working alongside James and Susan to ensure the house is a welcoming and safe space for our members.

Due to work commitments, Sam is unable to carry on with the role, but we would like to thank him for all he has given to the network. His knowledge, kindness and patience have made a big impact on the network and will be missed around the house.

Sam will still be involved in the Help Team on Mondays at the drop-in, so you'll still have a chance to drop by and say hi if you are around.

THANK YOU SAM!

Hana, BHN’s Volunteer Coordinator, says ‘hi’!

Hello! My name’s Hana and I’m really excited to be taking up the role of Volunteer Coordinator within the Bristol Hospitality Network.

I’m enjoying the challenge of my new role within BHN as our volunteers are really important to us, without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. I’m going to be doing my best to help Bristol Hospitality Network develop into a thriving network of supported volunteers, through organising training, events and listening to what our volunteers need from us. So please do come and find me at the drop-in centre on Mondays or at the member’s house if you have anything you’d like to talk about.

Click here to read more.

Human Rights Day 2016

10th of December is International Human Rights Day, and as every year many organisations and individuals in Bristol take this opportunity to show publicly that we stand with refugees and asylum seekers.

This year, Bristol City of Sanctuary and Bristol Refugee Rights organised a walk through town to show our support to refugees, and an event at City Hall with great speakers and conversations.

It was wonderful to see so much support on the streets of Bristol, on a rainy day and only a few weekends before Christmas. We finished the march by going into Bristol Cathedral and hearing from speakers including Bristol’s High Sheriff Helen Wilde and Thangam Debbonaire MP, who have previously shown their support for Bristol Hospitality Network.

The march (and some of our members) was featured in the Evening Post!

Click here to view a video about the day.

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