REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP
For almost a decade, we’ve supported and seeded Community Sponsorship groups across the UK - teams of at least six volunteers who come together to welcome a refugee family arriving through a government-approved pathway.
Each group finds and prepares suitable housing, offers practical and emotional support, and walks alongside the family as they adapt to life in the UK. Support is most intensive in the early months and gradually reduces as confidence and independence grow.
The Pickwell Foundation provides training, supports the matching, and ongoing specialist guidance - from education and employment to wellbeing and integration. This grassroots, community-led model has helped hundreds of families rebuild their lives while enriching the communities that receive them.
In 2020, we produced a short film that captured a community group's journey of welcoming new neighbours through Refugee Sponsorship. Watch it here
Across the UK, communities are stepping up to offer Afghan families safety, stability, and a chance to belong.
The Afghan Welcome Project is part of a new government programme supporting refugee resettlement through local leadership. It brings together the generosity, competence, and commitment of ordinary people who want to make a practical difference.Building on this foundation, The Pickwell Foundation now leads a national consortium delivering the Afghan Welcome Project, funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Led by The Pickwell Foundation, we are working in partnership with — Charis Refugees, Caritas (Salford, Liverpool, Leeds & Shrewsbury), and the Social Justice Network — are working together to welcome 125 Afghan households over the next five years.
This work is part of Communities for Afghans (CfA) - a new government-funded programme from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The scheme supports the safe resettlement of Afghan individuals and families who have been waiting since August 2021 to find a permanent home in the UK.
Our partnership is rooted in the Community Sponsorship Alliance (CSA) — a national network of organisations with deep experience in community-led refugee resettlement. The CSA works closely with government and civil-society partners to strengthen community sponsorship across the UK, drawing on practical insights from local groups like ours.
At a time when the national conversation about newcomers can feel polarised, this work offers another way forward - one rooted in connection, contribution, and resilience. It shows that when communities take responsibility for welcome, everyone benefits.
Now, we need more people to join us - to form local groups, offer housing, skills, or time, and help Afghan families take their next steps towards home. It is our job to mentor you through it with practical, sometimes financial and experienced support. The joy of ‘community-led welcome’ means you won’t be alone and we are working alongside you.
