Spotlight on: Penistone Support Group

We are delighted to be continuing our English Classes in Barnsley in partnership with the Penistone Refugee and Asylum Seekers Support Group. We started the group in March 2022 and since then it has gone from strength to strength, with women from a diverse range of backgrounds taking the opportunity to improve their English, make friends and share their cultural traditions in a safe and welcoming environment.

Over the past few months, a number of Ukrainian women have joined the group, and they have been warmly welcomed and supported. The women enjoy learning about practical topics for adapting to life in a new country as well as talking together and using games and songs to enhance their learning. Feedback has been extremely positive and it is great to see the women gaining in confidence and being able to access further courses, training and jobs.

We hope to continue the classes into the future to enable as many women as possible to benefit from an informal yet structured approach to learning which prepares them for the everyday challenges they face and gives them the motivation to improve their English, meet new people and have fun!

Baking For Hope

Do you know your choux from your filo? Are you a whizz with a whisk? Or do you just really love eating cake? Whatever your reason, grab your apron and wooden spoon and bake for HOPE!

This Refugee Week put your baking skills to the test and host a coffee morning in your workplace, school or church, or set up a baking competition with friends and family - all in aid of Hope English School!

When? During Refugee Week (19th - 25th June 2023)

What? A bake sale, coffee morning or even a "Bake Off" style competition - anything that brings people together.

Where? Your home, office, school, place of worship or community centre …. anywhere!

Why? Our Open ESOL classes are a lifeline for new arrivals, those who can't access college courses or anyone else who finds themselves falling through the gaps in the system. These classes are weekly, relaxed, friendly and offer free refreshments. The Open ESOL class is fully funded by our supporters and we want to keep it going! We are aiming to raise £1000 to keep it running for the rest of the year. Will you help us to reach our target?

 

Register here to let us know you are taking part. You can also download your FREE digital fundraising pack with everything you need to plan, advertise and run your event.

However big or small, every penny raised helps to open doors, create opportunities and improve the lives of asylum seekers and refugees in South Yorkshire.

Thank you, and Happy Baking!

Any questions do get in touch.

Spring 2023 Newsletter

Hello!

Spring is a time of change and transition, and that is very much what we are experiencing at Hope English School this Spring! Anna has started her maternity leave and is looking forward to welcoming the youngest member of the HES team very soon! Please join us in wishing Anna all the best for the upcoming birth of her baby, and the weeks and months that follow.

Katy will take over from Anna as acting CEO and will be supported by class   co-ordinator Jane and long standing volunteer Lucy. 

 

Inspirational Stories

We wanted to share the story of one of our students.  As well as being truly inspirational, Afsana’s* story is also a great example of the difference learning English makes to our students.

This is Afsana's* story:
 

Afsana came to the UK from Afghanistan with her two sons aged 13 and 17 in September 2022 and has been living in bridging accommodation since then.  She has been attending HES English classes at the hotel since October 2022 and is one of the most regular attendees.  Her younger son 'P' also attended classes until he was allocated a school place in March and her older son 'S' now has a place at Sheffield College.   

 

Afsana is a sociable person and is keen to interact with others, which helped with her spoken English, however when she first came to class she couldn't read English at all and felt embarrassed about this.  She worked diligently both in and out of class to improve her literacy skills and has made remarkable progress.  She can now read whole paragraphs on a variety of topics and write sentences confidently.  She is always keen to help new arrivals to the hotel and she encourages others to persevere with their learning.  
 
Attending HES English classes has given Afsana the confidence to deal with everyday situations, for example attending medical appointments and helping her sons to integrate into school and college.  In her class feedback, Afsana said that she wanted the classes to continue and "we like learning and laughing together".

*not her real name

It is a true privilege to work with students like Afsana and to witness their resilience, hard work and desire to integrate within their new communities. 

We couldn't do it without support from people like you - so thank you very much!

If you are not yet a regular giver, we would love you would consider giving monthly to support our work. Just a few pounds a month can help change the life of someone like Afsana.

You can find out more about how to give regularly on our website - thank you.

New Class Beginning Soon!

We are starting a new "Open ESOL" class after the Easter holidays. This is a relaxed, mixed ability class which is open to all asylum seekers and refugees.
If you would like to find out more or know someone who would benefit from attending, please visit our website for more information.

 

THANK YOU to everyone who came to our fundraising quiz night in January - we raised an incredible £766! This has allowed us to fund our new "Open ESOL" class.

We are very grateful to those businesses and individuals who provided raffle prizes, The Greystones Pub for hosting us (free of charge!), our wonderful quiz mistress Rachel and of course all our supporters who came along and made it such a successful evening.

 

Coming Soon….

We are looking forward to launching our new fundraising initiative "Baking for HOPE" and look forward to seeing many of our supporters getting involved!
Hold your own charity bake sale or 'bake off' to raise funds for us whilst eating cake! Perfect for the office, staff room or just at home with family and friends. Bring people together over a love of all things sweet!

Keep an eye on our socials for more information coming very soon....

 
 

We are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can help us for FREE. Over 7,000 brands can donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself!

All you need to do is sign up and remember to use easyfundraising whenever you shop online. It’s easy and completely FREE! 

To sign up and/or register us as your cause visit https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/.../hope-english-school/
.
Thank you

We are delighted to welcome Sarah into the Hope English School Team!

 

Sarah has recently joined us as our new digital marketing volunteer. She has been working as a freelance social media creative, and with more than a decade’s experience in creating digital content and building online communities we are thrilled to have her as part of our team! She has worked in both journalism and local government communications, as well as being a CELTA qualified teacher.