Home for our Charity

We are delighted to share some exciting news with our supporters. After a long search, we have finally secured a permanent base for our charity. This is a huge milestone for us and will transform the way we support asylum seekers and refugees in our community.

We are also thrilled to have been awarded funding from the National Lottery to recruit a Project Manager who will oversee the move into our new shared space. There is a great deal of work ahead, including installing a fully functioning kitchen, furnishing two language teaching rooms, creating dedicated spaces for our sewing project and community drop-in sessions, and setting up a fully equipped office with internet access, printers, and other essential technology.

We hope to capture this exciting transformation by commissioning a videographer to document the journey from an empty building to a vibrant community hub. We look forward to sharing this story with you in our next report, when we will have much more to show and celebrate.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our incredible supporters. Every donation has helped us reach this important stage, and we are confident you will be proud to see the difference your support is making as our vision becomes a reality.

We are also pleased to share that, thanks to generous funding from the Akelius Foundation, we will soon be recruiting an additional ESOL teacher and an ESOL manager. This investment will enable us to expand our English language programme to support more than 100 students, giving even more people the language skills and confidence they need to rebuild their lives.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Your support is helping us create a welcoming, safe, and inspiring place where people can learn, connect, and thrive.

• The Bridge Centre (DOCX)

After 10 years of standing alongside refugees and asylum seekers in Darlington, this year marks a turning point for Darlington Assistance for Refugees (DAR).

For the first time, we have received significant funding from our local authority — a powerful endorsement of both our impact and our vision. With this support, we have appointed a new CEO, who joined us in February and is already strengthening our strategy, partnerships, and long-term sustainability. At the same time, funding from the National Lottery has enabled us to recruit a dedicated Project Manager who will lead activities from our future permanent base and ensure our programmes grow in reach and quality.

We are now closer than ever to securing a permanent home — a safe, welcoming space where refugees and asylum seekers can learn, connect, and rebuild their lives. The recognition from our local authority, the National Lottery, and valued partners such as Akelius Foundation and The Allen Lane Foundation sends a clear message: our work matters.

Thanks to support from the Akelius Foundation, we are now delivering English classes in the heart of Darlington to around 40 participants, four days a week. This funding provides a full-time Language Tutor, and we are actively working to expand this to two tutors — delivering 1.8 FTE teachers and a 0.4 FTE Learning Co-ordinator. This investment is transformative. Stronger English skills mean access to further education, vocational training, volunteering, and — when permitted — employment. It means confidence, independence, and integration.

Beyond language, our practical skills projects are building confidence and community. Our cooking project was warmly welcomed by Middleton Lodge Estate, where participants experienced first-hand how high-quality ingredients are grown, prepared, and served in a fine-dining setting. Learning to make traditional English fishcakes together was more than a cooking lesson — it was a moment of cultural exchange and belonging.

Our sewing project and bike maintenance classes have also been tremendous successes, equipping participants with valuable, transferable skills while creating friendship, routine, and purpose. These activities are only possible because of the belief and generosity of our funders.

Now, with a permanent base within reach, we are ready to grow. A dedicated space will allow us to expand our classes, increase wellbeing support, run more employability programmes, and welcome even more people into a supportive community.

We have built momentum. We have earned trust. And with the right permanent home, we can multiply our impact — creating a stronger, more hopeful future for refugees and asylum seekers in Darlington.

We cannot wait to take this next step.