About RWinR

Refugees Welcome in Richmond (RWinR)

RWinR is a charitable incorporated organisation (no. 120482) led by volunteers dedicated to supporting people seeking sanctuary in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas.

Our volunteers provide befriending and language support to help those fleeing crises, conflicts, or persecution around the world who arrive here to settle into the community and access services they need. We’re always looking for more supporters to join us.

RWinR works alongside Richmond Council’s Resettlement Team to supplement the support offered by caseworkers. We’re also finding homes for clients who urgently need rental accommodation. In collaboration with the Council, we’ve developed a package of commercial benefits for landlords.

RWinR is a local group of the City of Sanctuary movement. We represent Richmond upon Thames, which is now a Borough of Sanctuary.

Strategy (2025-2028)

People and partners

We work with people from various backgrounds in support of RWinR clients.

To contact a specific person or organisation listed below, please follow any links where available or mention them in a message using our contact form.

Clients (or sanctuary seekers)

RWinR focuses on supporting people seeking sanctuary who live, work or study in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas.

We offer help to sanctuary seekers including:

• those who have come via UK government recognised resettlement schemes with clear refugee status;
• those seeking asylum whose claims have not yet been assessed;
• those appealing their rejected asylum claims;
• those with successful claims who have achieved refugee status.

For a more detailed explanation of what we mean by these terms, view our frequently asked questions.

What we offer RWinR clients

RWinR volunteers provide sanctuary seeking clients with information, befriending and support to find housing within the borough.

We aim to treat all clients with equal respect, though the types of support we can offer may differ depending on their circumstances.

We seek to prioritise the dignity, privacy and safety of all clients working with us. Find out more about how we protect RWinR clients by reading our policies and procedures.

Get help or refer a potential client

If you would like to refer yourself or someone else seeking sanctuary, please use our referral form, or contact us should you need help completing it.

If you would prefer to talk with us in person, we hold regular advice and social hub events at the Vineyard Community Centre on Tuesdays 12.30-2.30pm.

We are especially grateful to former RWinR client Kolthom Al Abood who spoke at our charity celebration event in 2023. In the video below Kolthom talks about the support she has received from RWinR since coming to Richmond from Syria in 2016.

Check our news and events pages for other opportunities to meet us.

For a summary of our work supporting RWinR clients, view our annual impact report and, if you can, please consider making a donation.

RWinR Board of Trustees

We currently have seven trustees on the RWinR Board:

Jon Fayle (Chair, Safeguarding Officer, Volunteer Coordinator)

Jon has worked as a social worker or social work manager for most of his
working life mainly in relation to children in care and child protection. He has also worked as a senior policy officer for the Youth Justice Board, mainly in the area of youth custody.

Between 2015 and 2018, Jon was chair of the Board of Trustees of TACT, the
fostering and adoption charity. He has been a trustee of various different
charities and has helped to set up two charities.

From 2018 to 2024, Jon worked for Cafcass as an advisor to the Family Courts in relation to children in care. Jon currently works as a consultant and trainer in relation to children in care.

Please read this information before you report a safeguarding concern.

David Austin (Campaigns Officer)

David joined the board of trustees in 2025 and is particularly keen to help the charity provide accredited legal support direct to clients. David retired from a career in radio/broadcast journalism in 2021 in order to return to university to obtain a master’s degree in human rights and public law. He is now working on a PhD, looking at the legal issues around immigration detention in the UK. He is also working towards becoming an IAA-regulated immigration legal advisor. 

Alistair Blunt (Housing Officer)

Alistair is a sociologist and an urban planner by training and was an international development consultant for fifty years working in East, West Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. He is now a trustee with special responsibility for housing issues.

David Dally (Secretary, Client Coordinator)

After a career in a number of healthcare and biotechnology companies, including living and working in the USA and Asia for an extended period, David retired in 2025. As well as being a trustee and volunteer with Refugees Welcome in Richmond, he teaches English to refugees with the local charity LEAH, and also volunteers with Westminster Council’s NightStars. David is married and has four children and five grandchildren. He and his wife live in East Sheen.

Zivile Meksriunaite (Admin and Comms Manager)

Zivile has a background in travel, marketing and advertising, with experience leading projects and building strong community engagement. She joined in 2024 as a volunteer supporting the Ukrainian community and now manages the Ukrainian Hub and leads the Community Garden project. Passionate about sustainability and inclusion, she enjoys bringing people together through practical community initiatives and support projects.

Larissa Rothe (Volunteer and Client Coordinator)

Larissa joined the board of trustees in January 2026 and is keen to make a meaningful contribution to the local community and wider society by using her professional skills and life experience. She built a career in corporate planning and governance, strategic project management, and events management. Larissa hopes to help the charity strengthen its governance, develop sustainable projects, and continue delivering vital support to those seeking safety for rebuilding their lives. She currently contributes to volunteer and client coordination function of the charity.

Juliet Thompson (Treasurer)

Juliet is a Chartered Accountant with experience in finance and administration in both the commercial and the voluntary sector, in Director, Trustee & Treasurer roles. She became Treasurer of RWinR in February 2021 and continues her role as a trustee.

Volunteer with us

Find out more about how you can get involved here.

If you would like to join RWinR as a volunteer, first read about our induction process including references, safety checks and training.

If you would like to join the RWinR Board as a trustee or observe our work, please view our trustee role description or contact us to find out more.

Many thanks to all our volunteers past and present. Special thanks to former trustees Valerie Booth, Elizabeth Byrne Hill, Saz Collett, Alexi Hatto, Sue Murray and Olga Pomazan, as well as former board and committee members Kolthom Al Abood, Firas Ali, Susan Attwood, Anthony Cotton, Sam Ingram, Marie Le Hur, Mark Robinson and Simone Webster.

Partners and friends of RWinR

We benefit from working closely with the following informal partners:

We are also grateful for the financial contributions of prominent donors and fundraising efforts detailed here, alongside ongoing support from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council and Vineyard Community.

Key partners include:

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council

We work alongside Richmond Council’s Resettlement Team to supplement the support offered by caseworkers. We intend to enhance our work with the Council now that it has been awarded status as a Borough of Sanctuary along with the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. As of 2024, the two Councils share staff including a new nine-person team under the Head of Refugee Services.

We expect to continue our work with Council staff on cross-promoting our services and securing accommodation for clients. We also seek to hold the Council to account via our participation in the Borough of Sanctuary Partnership initiative.

Citizens Advice Richmond

For our weekly social hub events at the Vineyard, at least one representative from Citizens Advice Richmond is usually available to support RWinR clients from Ukraine and where possible anyone seeking sanctuary in Richmond who might need their help.

London Refugee Advocacy Forum

We look forward to further engagement with the London Refugee Advocacy Forum, whose work focuses on improving access to legal advice for people seeking asylum and the sustainability of refugee community organisations.

Refugee Action Kingston

For people seeking sanctuary in any of the following areas of South West London, we recommend Refugee Action Kingston. They provide professional support and legal advice on asylum related issues to people living in Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth.

Refugees at Home

We refer clients and refugees elsewhere in the UK who may need temporary accommodation to Refugees at Home. We also recommend the experience of hosting to anyone who can volunteer. Visit refugeesathome.org.

Richmond EAL Friendship Group

We recommend clients learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) to Richmond EAL for group classes and events, which are great for improving language skills and making new friends. Visit richmondeal.org.uk.

Ruils Independent Living

Originally the Richmond Users’ Independent Living Scheme, Ruils provides information, advice, advocacy, befriending and activities for Disabled clients and families including those involved with RWinR. Visit ruils.co.uk.

Ukrainian Social Club

As the majority of refugees in Richmond are from Ukraine, we work closely with the Ukrainian Social Club at our regular hub and other events involving Ukrainian communities. Follow the USC on Facebook.

Vineyard Community

RWinR volunteers are sincerely grateful for the ongoing support of the Vineyard Community Centre where we host our social hub, recruitment and induction sessions, as well as many other events. Please consider donating to them and in particular offering household items for their charity shop.

What is Richmond Council doing to support people seeking sanctuary?

In December 2022, Richmond Council passed a motion to become a Borough of Sanctuary, an accreditation awarded by City of Sanctuary to boroughs that go above and beyond to welcome and support sanctuary-seeking residents. The Council’s strategy sets out the three-year action plan and partnership working with the Voluntary and Community Sector, in collaboration with people with lived-experience.

Read more in Richmond Council’s Borough of Sanctuary Strategy.

If you live in Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton or Wandsworth boroughs, we recommend you also contact Refugee Action Kingston.

If you live elsewhere in the UK, please try Migrant Help UK or the Refugee Council.

It’s not possible to apply for asylum while outside the UK, but once you arrive in the country, please visit the UK Government website to claim asylum.

• Safeguarding Disclosure Form (if your concern is about anyone who is not Jon Fayle, RWinR’s Nominated Safeguarding Officer)
• Deputy Safeguarding Disclosure Form (if your concern is about RWinR’s Nominated Safeguarding Officer, Jon Fayle)

All our volunteers must undergo certified safeguarding training. You can contact us if you need help completing the forms above.

Tell Richmond Council if you think adults or children in the Borough might be at risk.