Refugee and Migrant Centre opens doors to help in Walsall
The ribbon has been cut on the new Walsall base of a charity dedicated to helping refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
More than 70 people were present at the official opening of the Refugee and Migrant Centre’s (RMC) new home on Bridge Street.
The event saw speeches by chairman of the trustees Martin Cartwright and RMC deputy CEO Pam Gill - as well as a short address by Deputy Mayor of Walsall Councillor Rose Burley, who then cut the ribbon to officially open the centre.
Invited guests from partner organisations like community support and business development centre NASH Dom, from Birmingham, and Walsall for All were in attendance, as were members of West Midlands Police and the Citizens Advice Bureau.
The RMC made the decision to move from its previous home at St Paul's Church to ensure the charity had a stable, permanent office in the town to offer more services to its client group.
Ms Gill spoke about the benefits of a permanent office in Walsall, joining their others in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
She said: "I do think the people of Walsall will benefit from this centre being opened because the town has got a large population of new arrivals.
"Our services are completely free and it's going to be helping them to make a positive difference in their lives.
"There's immigration, education, ESOL (English as a second or foreign language) classes, the social aspect where they can get out of the house and meet people, health needs and accessing the health service here.
"It's an amalgamation of a number of different services and that can really bring them out of their shells.
Services that will be offered by the charity in Walsall include specialist immigration advice, free English classes and support with securing access to employment and education.
From EU citizens to refugees, asylum seekers, people who are undocumented and more established communities, the charity has also played a key role in Walsall’s commitment to welcoming Syrian refugees via the Government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
The new RMC Centre is open from Monday to Friday.
For more information about the services provided, go to rmcentre.org.uk
