Ministerial summit on
Named Community Sponsorship
25/3/2026
Catherine, CEO and founder of Croeso Menai, attended a landmark Ministerial‑level summit in London on Named Community Sponsorship, which brought together government representatives (including the Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris MP) alongside civil society, philanthropic foundations, academics, NGOs and frontline practitioners to shape the future of a new refugee welcome pathway for the UK.
The summit was hosted by Citizens UK, in partnership with the Community Sponsorship Alliance (of which Croeso Menai is a founding member) and Pathways International, and displayed unprecedented consensus amongst all who attended. Experts signalled support for shaping an effective, safe, and scalable Named Sponsorship route, introducing a mechanism to allow communities to name the individuals they wish to sponsor for protection. Although widely used in other countries, naming has never before been available in the UK.
Those of us who have been working in community sponsorship for nearly ten years, promoting the concept of naming alongside the existing stranger-matching model, were blown away by the apparent alignment at the summit between politicians, civil servants and NGO’s. The political will, sector expertise, and community readiness have aligned in a way not seen before. For the first time, community groups, congregations, clubs, and networks could directly identify someone they know who needs protection and offer them a route to safety.
Community Sponsorship is of course not new in this country – there is a well-established infrastructure in place to enable named sponsorship to work at scale. The UK already has organisations (such as Croeso Menai) with proven track records, strong relationships, and years of experience in what it takes to welcome newcomers well.
Several early commitments emerged during the summit, including:
- Indications that the 10 year route to settlement would be shortened to 5 years for those entering via a sponsorship route
- Removal of the 30‑month refugee status review for those on the sponsorship route
- A second Ministerial summit is planned for November 2026, with the expectation that measurable progress will be delivered before that meeting and a determination that momentum would now translate into policy
If you are interested in finding out more, please register your interest with Croeso Menai’s Principal Sponsor, The Pickwell Foundation – to be among the first to hear when the scheme opens.
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In Memoriam Susan Hofsteede
On 29th September 2025 we unexpectedly lost our greatly valued colleague and friend Susan Hofsteede.
All at Croeso Menai, and especially Dyma Ni Befriending, continue to miss her greatly. She had supported causes of peace, compassion and justice for many years, including refugees and asylum seekers in Kent and elsewhere. Her move, with her husband, Frans, to Bangor in 2012 resulted in huge benefit to the causes she supported here, including environmental and social initiatives, peace and justice and support for those who were fleeing persecution, violence, hunger and danger.
Sue also had a great zest for life and sense of fun. A great participant in the activities she supported, as well as a determined, resourceful and effective organiser.
Having quietly participated in Croeso Menai’s first ventures into Community Sponsorship and social support for refugees from Ukraine, she willingly joined the small team who set up Dyma Ni Befriending when the UK government began dispersing Asylum Seekers around the country, including to Gwynedd and Anglesey. She was a committed coordinator of the initiative and responsible for the initial grants we received, which have helped our friends get to know the area, access essential language and other learning, negotiate our healthcare system, carry out voluntary work, acquire necessary clothes, bicycles and other essential items and benefit from sport, outdoor activities and much more.
Sue was unfailingly kind, compassionate and always ready to go the extra mile for a distressed service user with a difficulty. She brought in local people with skills, resources and talents to run creative sessions in music, movement, crafts etc. She recognised needs and worked to meet them. The efforts she made were hugely appreciated by those she helped, our whole team and all who work with us. Here are just a few of the many comments from our friends:
“She was such a kind, wise, and generous lady who always supported our community and welcomed us with care and warmth. Her kindness touched us all, and she will be deeply missed.”
“She was such a kind person and a true example, and I’ll always remember her.”
“I’ll never forget Sue and her kindness that makes all this process easier to cope with, her support and understanding that gives us hope.”
“She was my best, she was a kind person, honesty and role model for all of us.”
Sue exercised patience and tolerance at the frustrations we encounter, while at the same time maintaining her principles and commitment. Her spirit and example will continue to inspire our work.
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KIRI COMEDY GIG MAKES £2,762!
We are delighted to announce that the Kiri Comedy Gig in July 2025 made a fantastic £2,762.88! This was made up of £2,294.29 on ticket sales and a whopping £468.59 on the raffle (prizes kindly provided by Kiri).
The venue was packed and we were brilliantly entertained by three amazing comedians, with Kiri as hilarious compere.
Thank you so much to each and every one of you who came to support Croeso Menai.
This now means we have reached our total of £9,000 and we can therefore apply for approval from the Home Office to bring an Afghan family to sanctuary in Bangor.
We hope to have news of welcoming the family towards the end of this year.
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WITH
KIRI PRITCHARD-MCLEAN!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0l993mg
One of the UK Home Office’s only legal routes for refugees to enter the UK, Community Sponsorship is a way for local communities, civil society organisations, charities, and faith groups to be directly involved in helping refugees find sanctuary in the UK.
https://www.resetuk.org/whats-community-sponsorship/
Croeso Menai is working with the Home Office and a Lead Sponsor charity who specialise in Community Sponsorship, to welcome a family. CM3 is made up of local volunteers including two Afghan women. They both live in Bangor, having been granted permission to come to the UK after fleeing Afghanistan. Khatera, who was a University Lecturer in Afghanistan, is studying for a PhD and Zakia hopes to train as a midwife. With Khatera and Zakia as Team Members, Croeso Menai plans to provide a home for an Afghan family that includes women and girls – changing their future prospects through access to education.
If you would like to donate to Croeso Menai, you can do so using the QR code or by bank transfer
NatWest
51-61-28
77977629
but it will change the world for one family