This April, four of our supporters will be lacing up their boots and trainers ready to embark on a physical challenge to raise money for St Augustine's.
Rose, Sabbah & Javad
Rose Wheeler started volunteering at St Augustine's last year. She met Sabbah, a centre member and fellow volunteer, in our free shop, where they work together.
The free shop offers our centre member clothes and shoes. Sabbah is a tailor, and alongside other volunteers, he has used his creative talents to make a much-needed different to the layout of the shop, making it more accessible and attractive to visit.
Rose decided to raise money so that St Augustine's has more resource to buy essentials such as new underwear and nappies. Together, Rose and Sabbah will walk 26 miles from Hebden Bridge to Manchester on the Rochdale Canal in April. They will be joined by Javad, a centre member and volunteer in the free shop, and Rose's partner.
You can support them via their facebook fundraiser or make a donation here.
Rose says:
"I wanted to support a local charity, and something that feels a priority concern. I've been really struck by the significance of St. Augustine's, and its very strong role in supporting people seeking asylum.
And I really want to raise awareness of the kinds of challenges that people seeking asylum are facing. Really, you only have to watch films like The Swimmers on Netflix, and you get a clear idea about what people actually go through before they get to somewhere like Halifax.
And you can't help but think, can I help here? This is something that would be worth supporting."
Sabbah says:
"I come from a beautiful city - I was a tailor for 15 years in Iran and Kurdistan. I really love being a tailor. I came to England as an asylum seeker seven months ago. The first place I came to was Halifax and I like it here - I really like Hebden Bridge too.
I came to St Augustine’s for support about four months ago, and I wanted to get more involved as a volunteer, so I started helping in the free shop.
I feel strongly that we should take care of the environment. Rather than recycling clothes, I use my tailoring skills to upcycle them by making them into bags for our centre users – they are long lasting, and it’s so much better than using plastic bags.
I’m really looking forward to walking the full 26 miles with Rose from Manchester to Hebden Bridge. We met as volunteers in the free shop - she is lovely, and is a big supporter of St Augustine’s. We won’t just be walking to raise money, I will be helping the environment by collecting rubbish along the way.
At St Augustine’s I enjoy some great activities. I really like sport, and through the centre I have done lots of things including rock climbing, going to the gym, and joining the walking group.
The asylum process is difficult and stressful, and joining the St Augustine’s volunteer team to helps take my mind off the worrying things."
[with some translation from Farsi]
Patrick McCallion
Patrick McCallion lives in Utrecht in the Netherlands, where he works for a music company. He's also in a band called New Nostalgia.
Originally from Halifax, Patrick will be running the Rotterdam marathon in April. He wants to support a charity close to his roots back home.
Patrick says:
"When I decided to run the marathon, I knew that the cost of living crisis in England was deepening and that the use of food banks was getting higher. I was very keen to do something for a local charity, and I liked the thought of keeping that link to my home.
I just really liked the ethos of what St Augustine's is doing. And the inclusivity of it. It just seemed like exactly the sort of organisation I'd like to support. You can see the impact directly. I would like to say thank you to my supporters, and also point them to your social media, because it's very clear that donating to St Augustine's has a real impact."
It's Patrick's first marathon and he was keen to do something outside his comfort zone, something that is a real physical challenge. He has been training for six months and he's looking forward to taking it a bit easier after April:
"The first thing I'm looking forward to doing is not running! I'm really looking forward to running the marathon and that feeling of ticking off a big accomplishment. But I'm also very much looking forward to not having to get up early for an hour and a half run before work. So a bit of relaxation is definitely on the cards."
Look out for Patrick at occasional New Nostalgia gigs in Halifax - Grayson Unity being a favourite venue.