Welsh Refugee Council is a Weston Charity Award Winner!

The impact of our services and future ambitions has been recognised with our selection as a 2023 Weston Charity Awards winner.   We have been awarded a team of business experts and funding to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.  

 The award gives us the chance to invest in our future with ten months of strategic planning support from a dedicated team of four business experts, thanks to pro bono charity Pilotlight and a core grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation.  

  We were chosen from over 100 applicants, all of which are frontline charities delivering youth, welfare, community, or environment services across different regions of England and Wales.  

  Our CEO, Andrea Cleaver, who is in Birmingham to receive the award, said:  

“We are all acutely aware the impact the current financial situation has had on us as an organisation and our services. The widening of dispersal, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have all been unprecedented events.  Our aim is to develop further, but funding restrictions have created barriers for innovation and digital solutions to be explored. With the core grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation we will invest and develop new areas of work to support our current services.“  

In congratulating us, Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation said:    

“Our Trustees are delighted to be able to support a record number of charities this year through the Weston Charity Awards. The Awards underscore the Foundation’s passion for nurturing and empowering charities to thrive and support those who need it most.”  

  Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of Pilotlight, the charity which is connecting Welsh Refugee Council with a team of coaches drawn from a range of businesses and other organisations said:   

“When you fall, you want someone to catch you. Small charities offer a safety net for so many people who are vulnerable and in need. Yet small charities typically do not have the support and help that they need themselves in order to sustain their work and spread their impact. We are proud to be able to assist 23 inspiring charities through the Weston Charity Awards over the coming year.”