We are delighted to welcome great friend of Refugee Support Bethan Edwards to our Trustee team, with responsibility for volunteer relations. Ever since she volunteered with us in Cyprus 2 years ago, she has been been central to our volunteer recruitment. There is no-one better who can help us keep volunteers at the heart of what we do.
We are so lucky to have Bethan on the team:
I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the image of Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Turkish beach back in 2015 spurred me into action. At the time, my sons were of a similar age to the young Syrian boy and I couldn’t just sit and watch.
I became involved with a local group of volunteers in north Wales called Pobl i Bobl. We sent clothes donations to refugee camps around the world and one element of the work which I thoroughly enjoyed was helping resettled Syrian families to integrate into our local communities.
Through Pobl i Bobl, I went to listen to John Sloan talking about Refugee Support Europe. I was instantly drawn to the dignified support offered to refugees in what are often very hostile environments – ‘Aid with Dignity’ – three simple words with far reaching consequences. I volunteered at the Dignity Centre in Cyprus in 2019 and since then I’ve been interviewing prospective volunteers. As someone who loves to meet interesting people from all over the world, this gives me great pleasure.
Volunteers are the heart and soul of our work and in my role as trustee I look forward to strengthening our unique community of dedicated, kind-hearted people and attracting and welcoming many more in the future.
