Refugees to do triathlon for Care4Calais!

Seven of the amazing refugees we support have formed a triathlon team to raise money for one of our community projects.

It’s a truly international team, made up of people who mostly didn’t even know each other before they found themselves in the UK. There’s Sofia and Ernesto and their two children, who fled El Salvador to escape gang violence and extortion. Then there’s Adil from Sudan, Joseph from Chad and Arsema from Eritrea, who are all fleeing war, slavery and trafficking. Between them they will swim, cycle and run together at the spectacular Blenheim Palace triathlon on the weekend of June 3-4 this year.

These brave people are trying to raise £3000 for In The Mix – a community project in north London where asylum seekers voluntarily cook & serve meals to help around 100 local people each week.

In The Mix, launched by our amazing volunteer Matilda (that’s her in the centre of the top picture), started as a community meal but has now turned into a social, supportive and collaborative weekly event where friendships are formed, skills shared and support offered.

It costs us only £2 per head to create and serve a two course meal. Our weekly numbers are rising sharply, doubling from an average of 40 to 80 guests, which highlights the need for projects such as this. However, the reality is that in June In the Mix run out of funds, so they need help to keep this important initiative alive.

“The asylum seekers I work with have much to offer and are so keen to give back to the community by volunteering,” Matilda told us. “In The Mix has provided an opportunity for many people, whatever their story, to come together around a table each week as a neighbourhood. It’s not just about the food, it’s about mental health, building confidence, encouraging others, and reminding ourselves we are a community.”

These heroes are already in serious training for their event that could help keep In The Mix serving, so we hope the couch potatoes among us all will dig deep and sponsor them – see link in bio

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/inthemix