The Spring Community Shop and Café on Barnsley Road, this week launched the Welcome Café Scheme. In partnership with Wakefield District City of Sanctuary, the Spring will offer asylum seekers and destitute asylum seekers food and drink payed for by customers.

The idea of the scheme is to enable local asylum seekers and destitute asylum seekers to come along to the Spring and enjoy a sociable drink and some food. Customers of the Spring can bank money to cover the cost of a coffee, cake, bowl soup etc. and local asylum seekers and destitute asylum seekers can come along and enjoy refreshments and be welcomed into the community.

Most of the new asylum seekers who live in the Agbrigg area have limited English and all have limited funds for food, toiletries and clothes. Destitute asylum seekers have no recourse to public funds. The scheme will offer local asylum seekers to opportunity be sociable, improve their understanding of English and enjoy home cooked food.

Wakefield District City of Sanctuary is hoping to develop the scheme and enable other community cafes to become participants.

For further details, please contact Linda on 07800605397

or Brian at [email protected]

(October 2015)