Volunteers

Volunteers

Jean Bryant

Julian Brown

I first became involved with Malvern Welcomes through volunteering with People in Motion charity, where I met some of the Syrian refugees and was impressed with their determination and resilience. As a Malvern Welcomes co-family lead, I was part of the team ‘setting up house’ and welcoming the most recent Community Sponsorship family to Malvern.  In 2021, I  retired from working as an assessor for special needs, and have been busy with Malvern Welcomes and other voluntary roles, since then. It is such a privilege to be part of the Malvern Welcomes team and work with the resettled families, who I feel have so much to contribute to our wider community.

Jean Bryant

Jean Bryant

As Lead for the first Community Sponsored family, I find it rewarding to see them becoming more established, more confident with their English and with taking decisions and planning for their future.
I volunteered initially as the scheme gives a positive way to help. Just look how it has grown, with befriending extending to other families in Malvern.
I am all admiration for the Malvern Welcomes Team, for their expert advice and guidance and grateful to the Malvern Welcomes Group for all their practical support that makes this possible.

Annette de la Cour

Annette de la Cour

Born in Denmark, I spent most of my childhood in Malvern, then studied and worked in London and overseas, and returned here with my family in 2003.  I was an Adult Mental Health Social Worker in London for over 20 years working in diverse communities including refugees from many different countries. I later worked for the Care Quality Commission inspecting hospital and social care services for mentally ill people and later sitting on a number of tribunals in the fields of mental health legislation and professional regulation. Throughout I have been involved in voluntary work mainly for mental health charities.

I have always been concerned with the circumstances of refugees and the responsibilities of countries and individuals towards securing their human rights and giving asylum. I been involved with Malvern Welcomes from its outset.

I am Mental Health lead and a Volunteer Coordinator.

Helen Louise

Helen Louise

I’ve been volunteering as an ESOL tutor with Malvern Welcomes since July 2018. I feel passionate about supporting refugees as they settle into the local community and aim to create a friendly, welcoming environment where they can feel relaxed, encouraged and hopefully, have fun while they learn! At the same time, I am always inspired and impressed by their resilience, hard work and determination to improve their English!

I am a Lead for one of the families.

Hilary Macmillan

Hilary Macmillan

I joined the team of ESOL tutors in 2022. I also help with wider family support, and I am part of the Volunteer Coordination team. I have spent many years working in the third sector in communication and education. I was also a teacher locally for nearly 20 years, specialising in supporting neurodiverse students and teaching English as an additional language. This background has allowed me to bring some relevant experience to the work of Malvern Welcomes.

For me, teaching English to resettled family members is one of Malvern Welcomes’ most vital roles. The ability to communicate in English empowers the individual and helps maintain a normal family
dynamic, where parents are learning English in parallel with their children who will be immersed in language learning at school. The ability to speak English enables the individual to steer a path
through the initial complexities of life in a new country, with confidence and with dignity, and our learners have the determination to succeed.

Ruth Pole

“Having had a working lifetime in various roles as an NHS dentist, I have received excellent preparation for supporting the resettled families in accessing medical and dental care in their new home town. It is easy to feel impotent when we hear about the increasingly large number of people worldwide who are displaced from their homelands and the public discourse about refugees can be disheartening. However, I am inspired by the quotation “One person cannot change the world, but it is possible to start to change the world for one person.” It is a privilege to help change the world for the families who resettle here in Malvern, by assisting them navigate our health care system.”

Sue Wolfendale

Sue Wolfendale

​I was brought up in Malvern and returned over 30 years ago, with my family. In the 70s I trained as a Social Worker and for the last ten years of my career I was based in a local GP surgery, working mainly with older people. I am an active member of Amnesty International in the Books for Amnesty shop in Great Malvern. I feel passionately that we must offer a safe haven to those who have fled the devastation of Syria and other parts of the Middle East.  I am a founder member of Malvern Welcomes, a member of the Management Team and co-coordinate volunteers.