Many of you will be aware of the plight of people who are seeking asylum, particularly when they have been refused asylum, often due to a lack of evidence and the climate of disbelief within the immigration service. This leaves many men and women without any entitlement to support, not allowed to work, are legally allowed to be in the UK, but cannot be removed due to various legal reasons. These are the people who are the most marginalised and excluded in our society today. They are left to fend for themselves and most rely on friends who allow them to sleep on their floors, settees, etc, with gaps when they have to sleep rough wherever they can.

The Mary Thompson Fund provides up to 100 destitute people with £5 per week and a small bag of food. People with health needs receive £10 per week. The fund needs to raise over £600 per week to provide this minimum level of support.

You will be aware of the huge increase in food over the past few months, which means we now have to pay £25-£30 for a 20k sack of rice, compared to £12 last year. We use over 3 sacks of rice each week, which costs the fund around £100 per week alone.

We are aware that we rely on many of you for regular support and we know this puts a lot of pressure on people who often have their own financial pressures, but if you can find a way of raising some additional support, we would be most grateful.

If you need someone to come to talk to a church, workplace or just a group of friends, please contact us.

Many thanks for your time, understanding and commitment to the Mary Thompson Fund.