Wellbeing day for our Welcome Mentors and their families at Streetbikes
TSL Welcome Mentor Volunteers support vulnerable Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants when they are placed in our communities, as they often lack the language and support networks to help them access services and integrate into the community. The Welcome Mentor programme was developed to offer a volunteer support/befriending service to help reduce some of the barriers and alleviate the feeling of isolation. Throughout the Pandemic the Mentors have continued to provide support which often includes:
- Support to access to NHS services including assisting with registering at medical centres, opticians and dental practices and help planning for visits to hospitals or specialist appointments
- Support and advice on how to access services such as food banks, migrant groups and legal advice
- Support to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) assessments and ESOL classes
- Assistance helping to identify and access community activity to support integration
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This much needed support can be demanding and so when TSL and Streetbikes invited them to take part in a fun filled family biking session, they of course said YES!
Many of the Welcome Mentors had never ridden a bike before and so this was a great opportunity for them to learn a new skill whilst having fun! Street bikes are such an inclusive charity, they have bikes for all ages and abilities. The Mentors had the choice of standard bikes, tricycles and tandem bikes which meant that no one was left out. The volunteers at Streetbikes are wonderfully patient, kind and welcoming, they put everyone at ease from the very beginning.
This opportunity was really unique and so very important for the wellbeing of our volunteers who work so hard supporting others. To see them having so much fun with their partners and children was a real treat for everyone involved. We are very grateful to everyone who played a part in making this happen.
What the Mentors said:
“This was amazing, I have never ridden a bike in my life until today – I felt like I was flying! ”
“We have created memories today with our children and I am really excited to show them all of the photos you took– they will be able to tell their friends when they go back to school what they got up to today”