Latest News

Well dressing receives a Silver rosette

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 11:24 am in Events | 0 comments

Detail from the well decoration

We were delighted to receive a Silver rosette for our dressing of the Wyche Spring well. We had some lovely comments from visitors and our thanks again to everyone involved.

Special thanks to Gabriel Pfeiffer (Woodend Toymakers) and Darren Nailer (artist), both based at ‘Out to Grass’ (Woodend Farm, Bromyard Road), and also to Mariana Ulukaya (Art & Chat Club, Welcome Hub) for her creative inspiration, and for her artistry in making our poster and supervising creative workshops at the Welcome Hub.

The Wyche Spring well decorated by volunteers from Malvern Welcomes and the Welcome Hub.

Mariana receiving the Silver rosette and certificate

Malvern Water and Well Dressing Festival 2-10 May 2026

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 2:37 pm in Information | 0 comments

Every year, communities in Malvern come together to dress up to 60 wells, springs and spouts from across the hills and town of Malvern. Over 800 people take part in this creative endeavour celebrating Malvern spring water.

This year, the theme of the festival is ‘Birds’, and Malvern Welcomes has collaborated with the Welcome Hub to celebrate birds of the world representing the home countries of refugees who have resettled in the Malvern area, alongside bird species native to Britain. The birds have been made by volunteers and resettled individuals using natural materials of wood and clay.

We are most grateful for the help we have received from local craftspeople, who have given most generously of their time, materials and enthusiasm for the project. Particular thanks to Gabriel Pfeiffer (Woodend Toymakers) and Darren Nailer (artist), both based at ‘Out to Grass’ (Woodend Farm, Bromyard Road), and also to Mariana Ulukaya (Art & Chat Club, Welcome Hub) for her creative inspiration, and for her artistry in making our poster and supervising creative workshops at the Welcome Hub.

We would also like to thank Malvern Hills District Council and Platform Housing for their support.

Thank you for visiting our display at the Wyche Spring Well – we hope you enjoy looking at the birds, and hearing their song

Please also take time to wander our website and find out more about the work of Malvern Welcomes.

More information about Mariana’s Art and Chat club can be found here.

Bird song

Below are links to the sounds of some of the bird species depicted within the Wyche Spring Well dressing.

Ukraine

The white stork is the national bird of Ukraine and a symbol of peace. A rhythmic clattering of their bills is used to greet, bond and mark territory. Listen to it HERE

Palestine

The Palestine sunbird is found in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. It is the national bird of Palestine and symbolises hope and freedom.  Listen to one of its calls HERE

Syria

The northern bald ibis is the national bird of Syria and has religious significance. It is a waterbird adapted to forage in dry, open habitats. Listen to its call HERE

Kurdistan

A memorable bird for one of the refugee community from Kurdistan is the colourful European goldfinch, with its bright red face, yellow wing patch and delightful twittering call. Listen to its call HERE

UK

The robin is considered Britain’s unofficial national bird. Although associated with Christmas, it is resident all year, with a boost in winter numbers as migrants arrive. Listen to its distinctive song HERE

Afghanistan

The dove is considered a symbol of peace across much of the world, including Afghanistan. You can listen to the call of one of the dove species found in Afghanistan, the laughing dove, HERE

UK Government Earned Settlement Open Consultation

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 2:27 pm in Information | 0 comments

The UK Home Office has launched an open consultation on ‘how the current settlement scheme should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.’

There are details here.

The Malvern Welcomes Management Team and Trustees have studied the proposals and completed and submitted the questionnaire.

We all agreed that the consultation form was full of ambiguous questions making it impossible to select  responses which reflected our views as we found the proposals unacceptable. After careful discussion we submitted our responses to the questions.

This is our response to the final question  where there was a limited opportunity to provide our own comments.

 ‘Do you have any final comments on the potential impacts on your organisation in relation to the proposed changes to settlement?’

The consultation questions are unclear and misleading, making it impossible to convey our views accurately .These proposals are cruel and lack compassion. They display no understanding of what people, who have made perilous journeys to find safety,  have endured. Our charity, Malvern Welcomes, has gained considerable experience. We have supported 12 resettled refugee families and engaged with a number of individuals and asylum seekers who  tell us that these proposals are already creating deep anxiety.

It is extremely unfair that some families have acquired their citizenship whilst others, who arrived at a similar time and are equally valued members of our community, may have to wait 10 years or more to ‘earn’ their settlement. No consideration has been given to the detrimental impact on the well-being and mental health of people.  Moreover, the insecurity and uncertainty which the proposals, if implemented, would create for people will be too damaging for their prospects – in terms of starting a family, studying, employment and career progression. In effect, the proposals would restrict the capacity of many to engage in UK society and “contribute” to the economy.

Wellbeing – a series of blogs

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 2:21 pm in Blog | 0 comments

1. Wellbeing in the workplace – Kate Gant, volunteer.

The link between employment and wellbeing is well documented: work can provide an important way for people to find a sense of purpose, meaning and fulfilment in life as well as to achieve financial security. Employment can thus play a role in helping refugees to rebuild their lives in the UK and to integrate into their local communities.

Over the past six years, volunteers from Malvern Welcomes have supported a number of refugee families who have resettled in Malvern through the Government’s Community Sponsorship Scheme and through other schemes coordinated by the County Council and refugee agencies. Those who arrive under these schemes are given Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and have a full right to work in the UK in any job, at any skill level and for any employer without restrictions.

As people settle in Malvern and become proficient in English, they naturally seek to use their existing skills and qualifications to find employment and to support their families. There is an electrician, a tiler, a chef, a lawyer, teachers and people who have worked in security as translators. Other family members have had to leave university before completing their degrees or never had an opportunity to gain employment after completing their degree.

Regardless of their enthusiasm now and their work history in their home country, people have found it very difficult to gain permanent work in Malvern and surrounding areas. Initially this may have been because of language barriers and levels of understanding of work-based English. An important aspect of our work in Malvern Welcomes is to provide English teaching and also to assist individuals in their studies for work-based qualifications such as Health and Safety. It is to their credit that some are now working in suitable jobs having reached the necessary level of English and passed the required tests. However, for others, despite working hard to develop their spoken and written skills and to overcome communication barriers, finding steady and appropriate employment remains challenging.

People often say that they feel that they have been overlooked for jobs, and applications are rejected. In some cases, this is because professional qualifications and work experience from their home countries are not recognised in the UK. Pressure from the Job Centre often means that people feel under pressure to take any job going, rather than investing time in getting UK-accredited qualifications. They find themselves forced to start in lower-paid, lower-skilled work, regardless of previous experience. In turn, this can result in low self-esteem and contribute to low levels of confidence.

The UK job market can be extremely competitive, particularly in sectors with low wages or high demand. If family members do get lower skilled or manual work, they tend to be offered hourly contracts with little job security. This transient work makes it even harder for people to feel as if they are part of a team. Upskilling is a difficult proposition in the context of irregular shift patterns and sudden requests for work. This, combined with challenging economic times for businesses, can mean people have no, or sporadic, work.

Volunteers from Malvern Welcomes have been supporting people to find work in many different ways. These include developing CVs to include the valuable skills and personal qualities that they bring from their home countries and from the situations they have faced. These skills include resilience, creativity and problem solving. We support people by finding job leads, preparing for interviews and navigating the UK job market.

We have suggested to several people that volunteering is an excellent way to gain work experience. Although this might not be something done in their home country, many have been willing to do this and have enthusiastically volunteered with the Malvern Cube, a toddler group, a primary school, the Malvern Hills Repair Cafe and local Charity Shops. Volunteering can also be a way to network with potential employers but this approach to finding work takes time and can be very frustrating.

The challenges which resettled people face in finding suitable employment are observed by Welcome groups throughout the UK and are not exclusive to the Malvern area. We are very aware that people with refugee status who have the right to work need more help to integrate into the workplace. Additionally, we have found that poor and unreliable public transport can be a serious challenge when getting a job. It is not unusual for people to have to get the first train from Malvern to Worcester or Droitwich to make sure they are in time to start an early shift. To help with this, Malvern Welcomes have supported family members to pass their UK driving tests, thus giving them the possibility of becoming more independent once they are able to buy a car so that they can travel to more rural locations for work.

There are now several aspirational young people whom we are especially keen to support as they move into Further and Higher Education and look to start a career. To further this, we are exploring the development of a Malvern Welcomes volunteer mentoring scheme which would link up family members with local community members or business leaders who have specific knowledge of the type of work in which they are interested. We are particularly interested in recruiting volunteers with experiences of practical trades, the retail sector, and health and social care.

Kate Gant, volunteer

A tribute to Rosemary Thorp – a remarkable and inspirational woman

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 9:01 pm in Events | 0 comments

We have all been greatly saddened to learn of the death of Rosemary Thorp at the age of 85.

Many will remember her for her sense of humour and the keen interest she showed in everyone she met.

Rosemary became involved with Malvern Welcomes two years after its inception. She quickly took a strong leadership role, starting by undertaking a thoughtful and thorough review of all our policies and procedures. With her formidable intellect, Rosemary challenged us with highly pertinent and incisive questions, guiding the ethos of our charity,

Her insistence that we should always work to the highest possible standards was balanced with her care and consideration for the volunteers and for each of the individuals we support. She always listened carefully and was very receptive to the ideas and thoughts of others, making everyone feel valued. We all greatly benefited from the considerable expertise in governance that she had gained through her work with other charities, including as Chair of Trustees for Oxfam and also from her various Oxford University positions as a Fellow of St  Anthony’s College, Director of the Latin America Centre, Head of the Department of International Development.

Despite being beset with multiple health issues at the time she became involved with Malvern Welcomes, her energy and commitment never diminished. It was a mark of her thoroughness and dedication that, when she stepped down from Malvern Welcomes for health reasons, she handed over a carefully preserved and very detailed set of notes.

We send our condolences to her husband Tim. We appreciated the generous support that he gave her as she devoted countless hours to her work with Malvern Welcomes. There was always a warm and generous welcome in their home where meetings were often held. They were renowned for their hospitality and many of us have precious memories of lively and stimulating conversations over bowls of soup and cups of coffee.

On a personal note, it was a huge privilege to have had the opportunity to work so closely with her.

Rosemary was a remarkable and inspirational woman who will long be remembered for her generosity and her wisdom.

Ruth Forecast, Malvern Welcomes Volunteer

Proposed reforms to resettlement system for refugees

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 8:52 pm in Events, Information | 0 comments

Proposed government reforms to the UK’s resettlement system for refugees

‘ACTION’  Responses and objections needed before 12 February 2026

The Home Office has launched a public consultation on proposed reforms to the UK’s settlement system, following the 2025 Immigration White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System. The consultation outlines plans to replace automatic settlement after a fixed period with an “earned settlement” approach, requiring migrants to demonstrate sustained good conduct, contribution and integration before being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Praxis, the human rights charity working for migrant rights, argues that the proposals will punish:

• lower income households, by rewarding those who earn high salaries and disadvantaging those who earn less.
• refugees, by subjecting them to a 20-year wait for settlement.
• people who have claimed benefits perfectly legally.
• people who have arrived irregularly, on a visitor visa or overstayed for more than six months. Thirty years is a lifetime.

Praxis also argue that:

• More people, including children, will end up facing poverty and homelessness.
• Children who have spent years in the UK and had no choice about moving here, and who are trying to navigate young adulthood, will be subjected to requirements to “earn” settlement or face punishingly long routes.
• The proposals make an already confusing and delayed system impossibly complex.

Malvern Welcomes will be responding formally as a body, after consultation between Trustees and the Management Team, expecting to submit a response by late January 2026.

But individuals can also submit a response, and we urge you as a member of Malvern Welcomes to do this. The Management Team will send all members its response in January, with a suggested wording for your own response if you would like to use that.  You can submit your response on the link at the end of this page on Government Gateway (no sign-in needed): https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/earned-settlement

Background reading

If you’d like to look into the matter and send your response now, the full document is available to read here at the Government Gateway link (no sign-in needed): https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/earned-settlement

A helpful explainer of this document from Praxis is here. It is particularly useful for explaining how the proposals seek to alter the current situation: https://www.praxis.org.uk/news/explainer-earned-settlement

A longer document from Praxis explaining their objections to the proposals can be read here.

Kate Macdonald & Sharon Baker

for Malvern Welcomes Management Team

19th December 2025

Welcome to our 2025 Newsletter

Posted by Hilary Macmillan on 6:01 pm in Events, Information | 0 comments

Welcome to our 2025 newsletter. You can read it here:

Malvern Welcomes Newsletter December 2025

In this edition, we focus on the theme of wellbeing. We bring together examples of activities that volunteers and resettled family members have found beneficial to their own mental and physical wellbeing and to that of others.

We look at the contribution of employment towards wellbeing for those employed and those who continue their search for employment. We also include updates on the work of Malvern Welcomes during 2025 – a busy year with many positives — at a time when it is easy to just feel despair.

Whether you are a volunteer, a supporter, or someone looking to understand more, we hope this newsletter inspires you to get in touch, help and care.

Please share the link or pass on a copy of this newsletter to someone you know who may be interested in the work of Malvern Welcomes.

Welcome to our new blog page

Posted by Matthew on 10:00 am in Blog | 0 comments

Here we will feature posts about the work of Malvern Welcomes, together with other relevant stories and experiences.

Below is a message from our Chair, Dan Herbert. You will find a copy of this message in our December 2025 newsletter. 

Message from the Chair   

In a year of ever-increasing hostility to people displaced around the world, it’s been easy to be demoralised. The language around illegality and the othering of people in need just seems to feed intolerance and places more barriers to integration and understanding.

We know people do not choose to be refugees. We know asylum seeking isn’t illegal. We know that the drivers of migration are poverty, climate change, conflict and persecution.

At its core, Malvern Welcomes has a mission to support those needing to find safe homes when they have had to leave theirs.  The practical actions we take address a real and growing need. The volunteers, funders, supporters and yes, even trustees all help reduce the human suffering caused by forced migration. This is great and valuable work.

Malvern Welcomes has always undertaken education work. We have run sessions in schools, for local groups and at community events. What we have not done to date is be a campaigning organisation. We had good reasons for this. Campaigning exposes our community to possible backlash from a specific section of the public. You only have to look at comments left in reply to Malvern Gazette articles concerning migration to see the risk.

At a recent planning day and at the AGM, there was discussion around whether we should be more vocal on issues. We now have experience in working with refugees and good knowledge of the complex and nuanced needs that they have as they adjust to life here. We know that successful resettlement can take place outside of large cities. Given all this knowledge, maybe it is time to be more vocal. We have recently supported a campaign by Asylum Matters https://asylummatters.org/  about the safety of more aggressive actions against people in small boats crossing the channel, and some members took part in a campaign to change the rules around asylum seekers being able to work. Linked to this, we have signed a joint letter to the government urging our leaders to work together to protect lives, not to put them at risk. This will be an ongoing debate.

The AGM was well attended, thank you to all who came along to support it. The current trustees were re-elected. Our rules also allow us to co-opt trustees onto the board. We are very keen to recruit a trustee to be our link for safeguarding matters. Thankfully, and with the careful work of the Management Team, we have faced very few safeguarding issues over the years. However, as a charity that works with vulnerable adults and children, we do need someone for this role. It should not be onerous. Again, do let me know if you are interested or can suggest someone we can approach.

This is my first newsletter article. It seems like a good time to say thank you to everyone involved in Malven Welcomes, our volunteers, supporters, those who donate, trustees and many others.

Dan Herbert, Chair of Malvern Welcomes

Christmas market raises funds for Malvern Welcomes

Posted by Kate Macdonald on 6:17 pm in Events, Information | 0 comments

This wonderfully atmospheric event was held on November 22nd, along with the Great Malvern Christmas lights switch-on.

To our delight, Malvern Welcomes was one of the four charities nominated in a public poll to receive a share of the funds raised on the day.  A sincere thank you to the people of Malvern for voting for us.

As a result of our nomination, we were invited to have a stall at the event. Despite the inclement weather, our presence was a great success. Our tombola and book sale raised more than £300, on top of the funds we will receive from the street collection. With so many visitors, we were able to share our story and the role we play in supporting resettled families in Malvern. There were so many positive conversations, we met people interested in volunteering, and there was a real generosity of spirit and in giving. It was heartening, at a time when it can be easy to just feel despair.

We would like to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers who bravely gave of their time and fortitude to help run the stall throughout a very wet day. A special thank you must go to Jane Stockley for all her hard work in organising everything and preparing the stall – and stoically remaining ‘on duty’ throughout the day. A massive thank you also to the local businesses and individuals who so kindly donated prizes for the tombola.

Overall, it was a very positive experience for Malvern Welcomes and a lovely event for the Malvern community.

A big thank you to The Letterpress Project

Posted by Kate Macdonald on 6:00 pm in Events, Information | 0 comments

If you were able to visit our stand at the Malvern Christmas Market, you would have seen numerous children’s books for sale. These were kindly donated by The Letterpress Project. This generous donation allowed us to sell the books at affordable prices to some very happy customers and at the same time raise funds for Malvern Welcomes.

The Letterpress Project aims to give people of all ages, particularly children, the chance to relish real books with all the benefits that reading can bring. You can find out more about The Letterpress Project here.

“If I was a doctor, I would prescribe a regular and varied diet of beautifully illustrated books to improve overall health and wellbeing. If this could be experienced in a moonlit, fragrantly scented garden in a free country – all the better.” Karen Argent, Project Director