BWR believes people forced to flee their countries need a safe home. We also believe ordinary people can be directly responsible for bringing a refugee family out of desperate circumstances and into a promising future.
We harness the power of local relationships and the goodwill of the Bath community to help refugees and asylum seekers feel welcome, access resources and find a new home and community.

  • Where we’ve come from

    Founded in 2015, we became a registered charity in 2017, and all our trustees, management team and countless helpers have always been volunteers. Now in 2021, we are delighted to take on our first part-time paid worker whose role is to coordinate our many volunteers.

  • In 2021 we also achieved our goal of becoming an official Community Sponsorship group.

    This means we undertake the entire responsibility for a family’s initial settlement and welfare. The Community Sponsorship program will run alongside our existing work supporting the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS). Announced in 2020, UKRS brings together the previous Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme. We are now also supporting Afghan resettlement.

BWR activities include the delivery of integrated social support; help and protection for physical, mental and financial hardship; befriending; fundraising; tuition, particularly in relation to English language support; the finding, furnishing, and renovation of homes and gardens; the protection of data and every aspect of safeguarding; and the enhancement of the lives of those we support.

As a group we have no religious or political affiliations. Our reach is wide but our resources are limited. We rely upon donations, goodwill, and the funds we raise locally. We are committed to aiding and relieving the plight of refugees both in the city and beyond. Our ‘Beyond Bath’ team focuses on the wider refugee situation and regularly sends donations and volunteers to Calais.

Meet the Management Committee

  • Sara Barna

    Social events co-ordinator
    Sara has been with BWR since it started in 2015 and her main role has been co-ordinating the social groups. She is also involved in volunteer training and has provided befriending and resettlement support.

  • Alice Herve

    Language Support Coordinator
    Alice joined BWR as a teacher in 2016 and became a committee member in 2017. She leads an amazing team of volunteer teachers and feels it is heart-warming to see so many people willing to give their time and expertise. Alice is also part of the team who liaise with schools and FE and HE outlets.

  • Linda Walz

    Donations Coordinator
    Linda has been involved with BWR since the second meeting in the pub in Widcombe in 2015. Her main role has been to job share Donations with Lesley, preparing houses for the families and managing all the kind offers of household items, furniture etc. She is a member of the community sponsorship team, delivers volunteer training and help with the Rose Cottage social group.

  • Amanda Stone

    Fundraising Coordinator
    Amanda has been involved with many aspects of BWR since joining in the early days of 2015. Organising fundraising events was where she started off and is still one of her favourite roles. She is a member of the Management Committee, as well as a befriender and Rose Cottage volunteer.

  • Lesley Bowes

    Donations Coordinator
    Lesley runs the donations team with Linda. She was drawn to do something with refugees during 2015 and became part of BWR that year. Her main role is collecting and storing the larger donations, and preparing homes for new families to arrive. She has led DIY and liaison with gardening.

  • Rosie Brown

    Employability Advisor
    Rosie has volunteered for BWR as an employability adviser since 2020, supporting people who are looking for local work with how to approach their job search, writing CVs and personal statements, job applications and exploring training and learning opportunities. She joined the management committee in March 2021.

  • Kurda Yar

    Operations Officer
    Kurda joined the BWR staff team in March 2023. Qualified in social work and with a master's degree in public policy from Bristol University, she has worked with international organisations, NGOs and local charities in Iraq, Kurdistan, Denmark and the UK and has more than 25 years of experience working with internally displaced people, asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants.

  • Phoebe Oakenfold

    Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Coordinator
    Phoebe joined the team as the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Coordinator for BWR in January 2023. She previously worked supporting refugees, asylum seekers and unaccompanied asylum seeking children in France. Her role at BWR involves meeting with recently arrived and newly referred individuals and families and establishing what type of support is required. She works alongside Ruth to match the right volunteers to the requirements of these referrals.

Meet the Trustees

  • Stephen Whittle

    Chair of Trustees
    Stephen moved to Bath in 2022. He worked for many years in broadcasting and has been actively involved in a number of charities working with public health, medical education, and learning disabilities. He has also chaired a settlement charity in Rotherhithe in London.

  • Vi Jensen

    Trustee
    During her working life Vi was a finance director working for international organisations in the commercial world and latterly in the charity sector. She joined BWR in June 2019 as Treasurer and as a Trustee.

  • Kathryn Kyle

    Trustee
    Kathryn has spent her working life working in primary education, most recently as a headteacher in Hackney. On moving to Bath in 2021 she became involved with BWR, first as a schools liaison volunteer then as a trustee.

  • Louise Rickitt

    Trustee
    Louise joined BWR as a trustee in June 2023. She has worked in the NHS for over 15 years, and has family experience of the long-lasting impact that traumatic events can have on children.

  • Roz Osborne

    Trustee
    Roz joined BWR as a trustee in March 2024. She has lots of experience in running small charities, including as founder and CEO of GlobalARRK, supporting migrant mothers.

We received a Magic Little Grant through the partnership between Localgiving and Postcode Local Trust. Postcode Local Trust is a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Localgiving is the UK’s leading membership and support network for local charities and community groups.