West Cumbria Refugee Support Network

Support for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Below is information about the support we can offer to refugees and people seeking asylum. Please get in touch if you would like more information.

Conversation Cafes

Our volunteers support refugees and people seeking asylum at the Conversation Cafes on Tuesday morning (10am to midday) at Whitehaven Library and Thursday morning (10am to midday) at Workington Library. At the cafes you can practise speaking English with our volunteers. You don’t need to book – you can just turn up.

Items for life in the UK

We can provide asylum seekers and refugees with items such as clothes, toys, books, bikes, microwaves, recycled TVs and laptops. Please contact us if you require this support.

Minutes for Miles

We run a scheme called Minutes for Miles, to help refugees in West Cumbria to get their UK driving licences. We have volunteer online coaches who help you prepare for your driving theory tests and we pay half the cost of your practical driving lessons. In 2022, we received a High Sheriff’s Award from David Beeby for our Minutes for Miles scheme, which is run by our volunteer Abigail Mann. Please contact us if you want to be added to the waiting list for this scheme. 

Rent a Room Scheme

Our sister organisation, Penrith and Eden Refugee Network, run a rent a room scheme for refugees, which includes refugees in West Cumbria. If you have a spare room to rent, or you are a refugee who needs a room to rent, you can find out more here.

Advice and Legal Support

Unfortunately, there are very few solicitors available to help with asylum applications. However, the Penrith and Eden Refugee Network offer some legal support so we can refer individual people seeking asylum to them. You can find out more about their service here.