Home for our Charity

What a summer we’ve had! The long, warm days seemed endless, and I hope you all found time to enjoy the sunshine and recharge.

10 years of DAR

This year marks ten years since the first Syrians arrived in Darlington. I often think back to those early days, when we were struck by their generosity—especially their determination to feed us! As their English improved, they began to share the stories of their families, their communities, and the war they had fled. It has been a privilege to know them, to learn from them, and to witness their resilience.

My trip to Syria

One friendship in particular has shaped my family. We persuaded Mouhyedin (the only single Syrian) to learn English with us so that he could work and welcomed him into our home. Over seven years, he became part of our family, and through video calls we got to know his relatives in Syria. This summer, nine years later, Martin and I had the extraordinary experience of staying with them in Homs.

We were welcomed with such warmth, even as we saw the devastation of war all around—homes destroyed, communities under siege, families rebuilding in unbearable heat. Yet, what stays with me most is the laughter, the generosity, and the gratitude of people who have endured so much. They called themselves the “lucky ones.” (include photos see attached)

Our volunteers

This same resilience is something our volunteers see every day as they support asylum seekers here in Darlington. But I also know how draining it can be, especially when those we welcome are met with hostility. To all our volunteers: thank you. You are the backbone of DAR, and your work is invaluable.

New Projects

I am also delighted to share some wonderful news about new projects:

Thanks to funding from Akelius Languages, we are running a six-month pilot programme delivering 28 hours of English teaching each week for up to 40 learners. This will give people the tools to connect more quickly with our community and build confidence in their daily lives.

With support from Allen Lane, we are also launching a year-long project especially for mothers with young children, who often miss out on English classes because of the lack of nursery places. This will take the form of a mother-and-toddler style group, using songs and children’s stories to learn together. Alongside language learning, we hope this will be a bridge into local toddler groups, helping mothers feel more rooted in our town.

These initiatives are real milestones for us, and I am so grateful to the funders and to everyone who has helped make them possible.

Sustainable DAR and searching for a new CEO

And there is more to celebrate: thanks to increased funding overall, DAR is entering an exciting new chapter. For the first time, we will soon be able to employ a CEO to help secure a permanent base, grow our funding, and strengthen the support we offer. Please keep an eye out for the job advert—we’d love your help in spreading the word.

At a time when our country feels unsettled, the need to build strong, connected communities has never been greater. Refugees bring so much to our town. With your continued support, I am sure DAR will keep helping them find their place here.

Thank you, as always, for walking this journey with us.

We have had been blessed with some new Trustees taking our total to 7 highly qualified, experience in charity governance business and mental well-being.  We have restructured our Support team into pods of 4-5 and also introduced 2 of our language tutors to the pods. This has meant we can offer a more holistic support package to our asylum seekers with the greatest need.

It was great to show off our Multicultural Cooking project to our funders, the National Lottery, when they joined us for the morning.  Our sewing project are doing the same for Point North and Ward Hadaway in July and they are already getting ready to show off their amazing work.  We now have 16 sewing machines and 20 participants.  St Augustines were not able to offer us any storage space so we moved to the URC who can store 8 of our machines, some of our fabrics and cooking equipment.  This means 8 sewing machines have to be stored at volunteer's houses, lifted in and out of cars and into our new space which doesn't have parking.  It is back breaking work every month for our volunteers and participants. 

We have had to offer of furniture for an English teaching classroom which is wonderful.  However. we are still trying to secure a place and might be able to share a space with another organisation if the termsa are flexible enough. 

How great it is to receive funding from some of you.  It gives us hope that there are people who care about the displaced and vulnerable human beings who have already lost everything.  It is the greatest privelege to work alongside such people who teach us about resilience every day. Thank you for your support.

Links:

• Our website