Author Archives: UiD Swansea
Support from the Postcode Lottery
We are happy to announce that UiD has been received £5,315 from the Postcode Lottery! This incredible support will cover our rent for most of 2025 and into the early months of 2026, providing us with a secure space to continue our Thursday drop-ins.
This funding means more than just a roof over our heads – it allows us to keep delivering vital services and creating a welcoming community for everyone we support.
We are so grateful to the Postcode Lottery and to everyone who plays. Your generosity helps make a real difference.
On 20/06/2024, UiD celebrated World Refugee Day as part of our weekly drop-in, which included a food and clothes bank, an English Language class, and children’s activities. The day was extraordinary. Plants were given to people who attended and participated in the celebration activities. People also enjoyed Korean cuisine, which was freshly served before attending a special concert. The concert was performed by the Music Messengers. A quartet of 2 pianists & 2 violinists.
Members of the UiD community shared the following comments:
Mr T said that he has a small garden and grows different vegetables. He took away some tomato, mint, coriander and basil seedlings.
Furthermore, Miss C said she took seasoning plants for cooking and added, ‘I am going to keep them in my kitchen window to be close to sunlight’, whereas A said she would give them to her brother because he is interested in a having a garden.
Meanwhile, S said she loves flowers but could not find the seeds she was looking for. She took some vegetable seeds and will be trying them for the first time in her garden; ‘’If that succeeds, I will bring more’’.
UiD’s drop-in day is not just a regular event, it’s a significant opportunity for refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into society. It’s a place where people can make friends, develop their English language skills, and understand the power of diversity and inclusion. World Refugee Day serves as a poignant reminder of the millions of people who have been uprooted from their homes, forced to leave everything behind and have no place to call home. In the face of this, UiD remains steadfast in its mission to support refugees and asylum seekers in Swansea and to raise awareness about the significance of inclusion and integration.
Welcome to Unity in Diversity (UiD) drop-in sessions at Swansea
Every Thursday from 16:00 to 18:30 at York Place Baptist Church, York Street, Swansea SA1 3LZ
Our drop-in sessions welcome everyone, including refugees and asylum seekers, for support, chat, friendship, learning English, food and more. UiD’s drop-in sessions provide different activities, including ESOL class, children’s play group, and men’s and women’s clothes and toiletries. The ESOL class allows refugees and asylum seekers to learn and improve their English language skills.
UiD also celebrates Birthdays at our drop-in sessions for our asylum seeker and refugee community. It is a welcoming environment, and we offer hot drinks, snacks, and meals. It is a significant opportunity for refugees and asylum seekers to socialise and integrate into society.
Swansea food bank information
Find
Food banks + support
Locations, opening times and information on how to access food banks in Swansea. There is also information for people who wish to make a donation to a food bank.
Donations are welcomed – details on how to donate are listed in the information about each food bank below.
Food banks and food aid projects listed on this page are registered with Swansea Council and have either met a Food Hygiene Rating of 3 or above, or are awaiting inspection.
Visit the Food Standards Agency to find out more about Food Hygiene Ratings.
The majority of the food banks operate via a voucher and / or referral system: please do not let this put you off accessing this help when you are in need. The agencies that can help you with a referral or voucher will also be able to help provide additional support, including accessing benefit or debt advice.
Anyone can find themselves in a crisis situation, so please do not feel embarrassed about asking for help. The ‘Hope in Swansea’ app is a useful way of finding out what help to access food is available on the day you need it.
The organisations listed, and the services provided by those organisations, are not managed or governed by Swansea Council and Swansea Council has no control over the nature, content or availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links is not a recommendation or endorsement of that organisation. The council cannot be held liable for any action or inaction of the organisations listed.
Report a change or request to add a serviceReport a change or request to add a service
Birchgrove Foodbank
Open Wednesday and Friday 12 noon – 2.00pm.
Blaenymaes Drop-in (foodbank and foodshare)
Foodbank by appointment. Foodshare available Tuesday 10.00am – 2.00pm and Friday 10.00am – 2.00pm.
City Church Swansea Foodbank
Open Mondays and Fridays 10.00am (foodshare), Saturdays 11.30am – 12.30pm (takeaway warm meal).
Clase Foodbank
Open Wednesdays 10.00am – 11.00am.
Eastside Foodbank
Open Fridays from 10.45am (closes after pre-arranged packages have been distributed).
Foodcycle
Meals served every Monday at 6.30pm, last entry for meal at 7.15pm but takeaways available for latecomers.
Matthew’s House
Various opening times for sit down meals or takeaway service.
Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa Trust
Between 3.00pm and 4.00pm on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
North Gower Food Hub
Food parcel delivery only – Fridays.
Ogof Adullam
Drop-in centre offering a place of refuge to individuals experiencing homelessness and alcohol and drug addiction as well as providing a point of contact for prison leavers and asylum seekers.
Pontarddulais Foodbank
Open Wednesdays 12noon – 4.00pm (and for one hour each day for emergency situations for as long as possible – not including weekends).
SOS Shelters Wales Independent food bank and more
Food share open 1.00pm – 3.00pm every Tuesday. Foodbank open 1.00pm – 3.00pm every other Tuesday (from 9 January 2024).
Salvation Army Foodbank
Phone on Wednesdays 9.30am – 12 noon for a time slot.
Sketty Foodbank
Open Wednesdays 12.00 noon – 2.00pm.
St Thomas food bank
Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10.00am-1.00pm
Swansea Asylum Seekers Support
Offer support for asylum seekers and refugees.
Swansea Community Fridge
Open Wednesdays 12.30pm – 2.30pm.
Swansea Foodbank, Clydach
Open Tuesdays 10.00am – 12noon.
Swansea Foodbank, Gorseinon
Open Thursdays 10.00am – 12noon.
Swansea Foodbank, LifePoint Church
Open Fridays 11.00am – 1.00pm.
Swansea Foodbank, Mayhill
Open Thursdays 1.00pm – 3.00pm.
Swansea Foodbank, Penlan
Open Fridays 10.00am – 12.00pm.
Swansea Foodbank, Siloam, Gorseinon
Open Wednesdays 4.00pm – 6.00pm.
Swansea Foodbank, West Cross
Open Mondays 12.30-2.30pm.
Swansea Mosque Foodbank
Open Sundays 12.45pm – 1.45pm, through our voucher referral scheme.
The Centre for African Entrepreneurship (CAE) (foodbank)
Delivery service on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Ty Fforest Hub (foodshare)
Various times throughout the week.
Unity in Diversity
Provide food, support and learning opportunities to asylum seekers and refugees in the Swansea area.
Zac’s Place
Open Thursdays and Fridays 11.30am – 1.00pm for takeaway meals.
Last modified on 29 January 2024
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© 2024 – Swansea
BEGINNER’S ENGLISH CLASS RESUMED
Unity in Diversity is proud to announce that the popular morning English classes for beginners have returned! The classroom doors re-opened for the first time again on the 8th of September 2022.
Classes closed at the beginning of the summer because Shawn left to chase her dreams after finishing her degree at Swansea University.
Here is the updated poster of our services at this time:
Come along to one of our meetings on Thursday, enjoy a warm meal and discussions with fellow community members.
UiD’s Clothing Bank Update
As many of our long-term members know, Unity in Diversity runs a clothing bank in Sketty. All items donated to the clothing bank are sorted and then delivered to members by UiD’s amazing volunteers and volunteer drivers. UiD still tries to reach out to its members either individually by asking what they need or utilises the private chat where members can express what they need or pick from options available at the moment.
However, recently UiD’s Clothing Bank has branched out! Members who attend Thursday meetings can browse through a collection of clothes, toys, and other items at The York Place Baptist Church from 4.15pm to 5.45pm by signing up at the door. Only members who signed up for an appointment are allowed to venture upstairs and browse through the selection of goods.
This smaller Clothing Bank at The York Place Baptist Church is run by our amazing volunteers: Tolu, Shahee, Drita, Drakshan, and Katy. A big thank you goes to all the ladies for keeping up the hard work!
SAFETY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Staying connected with friends and family, introducing innovative ways of learning, and creating new ways of expressing yourself are just a few advantages of social media and the internet that we enjoy on daily basis.
Follow these tips to safely enjoy social media:
- Learn about and use the privacy and security settings on social media
- Protect your reputation on social media. Don’t forget: Once posted, always posted.
- Be cautious about how much personal information you provide on social media. Follow the rule: Keep personal information personal.
- Use your personal profile for only friends you know and trust. Know and manage your friends.
- Report anything that makes you uncomfortable. Know what action to take if someone is making you uncomfortable, harassing pr threatening you. Follow the REMOVE, BLOCK, REPORT rule.
Make sure you also protect the device you are using:
- Use a strong password.
- Use a different password for each of your social media accounts
- Set up your security answers.
- Password protect your devices.
Read more here: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/social-media-how-to-use-it-safely
WALK AND TALK 2022
On Friday, April 22 Unity in Diversity organised another Walk&Talk event for its members!
For those who are not familiar with UiD’s concept of Walk&Tall, let us explain! Walk&Talk is a guided walk through Swansea with apppointed speakers that present Swansea’s most popular landmarks. Each speaker presents research on the landmark of their choosing to enlighten new residents of Swansea. UiD and its members find this event impornat and popular amongs refugees and asylum seekers since it allowes them to get to know the city they have founs themselves in.
Starting at York Place Baptist Church we made our way to Swansea Castle, walked through Wind Street and stopped at the Morgans Hotel. We contintied with a exhibition in the Mission Gallery, and stopped to have a presentation on Dylan Thomas and his life. Then we walked through the Marina where we had a speaker talking about the most famous ships and they ties to National Waterfront Museum. Our walk stopped at the beach where we continued the conversation about Swansea.
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
The Criminal Justice in Wales is looking at how asylum seekers and refugees experience the Criminal Justice System. They are going to report to the Welsh Government with an Anti Racist Action Plan for the Criminal Justice System in Wales. The session will be led by Mark Jones. Marj is part of the group advising the Welsh Government.
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Have you had contact with the police or the courts as a refugee or an asylum seeker? Come and share your experiences, good or bad. This is a great chance to share and have a conversation with a sympathetic person about this issue.
BOOKS TO BORROW
Come along to one of our meetings and meet the amazing Hazle.
Hazle has turned into our resident librarian. Thanks to her Unity in Diversity now has a ‘Books to Borrow’ service with books tailored to low-level learners. It is highly motivating for foreign language learners to discover that they can read in English and that they enjoy it. For this reason, it is essential that the books are interesting to students and at a level appropriate to their reading ability. If students find the books compelling and interesting and can understand them, they may become more eager readers. Books provided by Hazle have been adapted by avoiding using difficult grammar and vocabulary for people learning a foreign language.
Since it is a borrowing service you will be asked to sign in with your details and return the book within two weeks. If you don’t finish it in two weeks, you can renew it by informing Hazle.
So, come along one Thursday to see what books are waiting for you! We have classics like Sherlock Holmes, romance novels and more just waiting for you to read.
Unity in Diversity 