Bridge to Unity

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Bridge to Unity

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Bringing communities together

Supporting refugees and displaced people to rebuild their lives in the UK 🇬🇧

Community | Education | Employment

Need help with housing, work, English or settling in?

27/05/2026

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating Eid al-Adha this week.

Eid al-Adha is a festival of sacrifice, compassion and devotion. A time for family, for generosity towards those in need, and for standing beside one another.

For many of the families we work with, this Eid is being marked while also rebuilding their lives far from home. That same spirit of compassion is what helps people find belonging, and a place to call home, here in the UK.

To everyone observing, we wish you peace, safety, and time with those you love.

You are not alone. You are part of our community.

23/05/2026

Today, we ran our “Understanding the NHS” session in Fareham. We wanted to share why it mattered.

When you have just arrived in the UK, the NHS can feel like a closed door. Which number do you call? Can you see a doctor without ID? Is it really free? Will anyone ask about your immigration status? These questions stop people getting help they are entitled to.

So we sat down and answered them, plainly.

The session was designed and led by Becky, our Paramedic volunteer. She walked through how the NHS actually works. The difference between a pharmacy, a GP, NHS 111 and 999, and when to use each one. That you can register with a GP without proof of address or ID. That no one will check your immigration status when you need urgent care. She also showed how to find mental health support through the NHS, so people know that help is part of the system, not separate from it.

Alongside her was Anna, our mental health and wellbeing officer, who led the women’s health and mental health sessions. Anna is a psychologist from Ukraine, she has been supporting families, soldiers and veterans through the war. She understands trauma and displacement in a way few people can, and that understanding shaped the whole day. On women’s health, the services available to every woman in the UK. On mental health, the simple truth that asking for help is a strength, and that you are not alone.

We also got hands-on. A basic first aid workshop covered CPR, using a defibrillator, and what to do in the first few minutes of an emergency. Skills that could one day save a life. Because many of the families we support have lived through war, we kept this part trauma-informed, drawing on Anna’s experience, so that practising the skills never brought difficult memories too close.

This is what we mean by bridging the gap. Not just telling people the NHS exists, but making sure they know how to use it, what their rights are, and that they belong here as much as anyone.

Thank you to everyone who came, took part, and asked brave questions. And thank you to Becky and Anna, a real team effort.

We will be running more sessions like this. If you support newly arrived families and would like us to bring one to your community, get in touch.

22/05/2026

This Saturday, we’re in Fareham. Come and find us.

When you’ve just arrived in the UK, the NHS can feel like a maze. Where do you go when you’re unwell? How do you register with a GP? What is 111 for, and when should you really use A&E? Nobody hands you a guide when you arrive.

So we made one.

“Understanding the NHS” is a free, friendly session for newly arrived families. Becky, our paramedic volunteer, will talk through how it all works in plain, simple language. The everyday questions people bring to our hub. Anna will be there too, for anything around mental health and wellbeing.

In the afternoon, there’s a hands-on basic first aid workshop. Simple skills that could matter one day. What to do in an emergency, and how to help someone while you wait for an ambulance.

Here’s what you need to know:

Saturday 23 May
11:00 Understanding the NHS
13:00 First aid workshop
Holy Trinity Church, 132 West Street, Fareham, PO16 0EL

Just drop in. No booking, no cost. Bring your family, and bring your questions.

Interpreters will be there for Ukrainian and Dari/Pashto, so you can ask in your own language.

The NHS is for everyone,. On Saturday, we’ll help you understand how to use it.

Any questions before the day? Message us on WhatsApp 07925462476 or email [email protected]

28/04/2026

This one means a lot to us.

Bridge to Unity has been selected for the Tesco Stronger Starts vote. It’s a small thing on the surface, but it directly supports something we see every week.

Families arriving here after everything has changed overnight.
Children trying to make sense of loss, new schools, a new language, a new life.

Our project is about creating space for them to breathe, to talk, to feel safe again.

If we receive the top award (£1,500), it will fund a block of structured support sessions for Ukrainian children at our Havant hub
– safe, guided spaces where they can process what they’ve been through, build confidence, and feel part of something again.

If you’re local, you can support us in a really simple way.

When you shop in Tesco, you’ll get a blue token.
Pop it in the Bridge to Unity box.

You’ll find us in:

• Hayling Island (Station Road)
• Lavender Road
• Waterlooville
• Emsworth
• Southbourne
• Havant Extra
• Tempest Road
• Lovedean Lane

Voting runs from 28 April to the end of July.

Every token is a quiet vote for compassion.
For community.
For giving people a proper chance to rebuild.

If you’ve ever supported us, shared a post, or just followed along, this is one of those moments where it really counts.

Thank you 💙

26/04/2026

Yesterday a Paramedic called us about someone who’d just had devastating news from home, with no one here in the UK to turn to.

The call came through because clinicians know how to reach us when medicine isn’t the whole answer.

Last week at the hub, someone arrived needing a GP appointment, a hospital referral and help with housing all at once. Becky worked through it with him while Anna translated.

What happened to him is the pattern, not the exception.

That’s exactly why Becky and Anna are running a session at the hub on 23 May about ‘Understanding the NHS’.

In the background, we’re starting to build something new. A way of helping people navigate the system step by step, without falling through the gaps. It’s not built yet, and we’re not pretending it is. But it’s come from years of seeing where things break and what would actually help.

None of this is loud work. Most of it never makes it onto the page.

But it’s all connected. The call from the Paramedic. The session at the hub. The work on the drawing board. Even the support we’re seeing through Tesco this week.

The same thread runs through all of it.

We see what people need, and we build what’s missing.

That’s the work.

If you work in healthcare or support services and want to link in, feel free to message us.

22/04/2026

New to the UK or need support?

We can help with housing, work, English and settling into life.

Just send us a message on WhatsApp and we’ll get back to you.

👉🏻

18/04/2026

We’re really pleased to have Ghulam leading our ESOL work at Bridge to Unity 💙

We first met Ghulam several years ago when he was referred to us in Chichester. Since then, we’ve stayed connected and had the chance to work together on a number of occasions.

Ghulam has worked across Afghanistan in education, including with the British Council as an English Learning Centre Manager and Teacher Trainer, supporting teachers in government schools and delivering specialist English training, including for aviation cadets.

After arriving in the UK, Ghulam worked his way through the system, accessing training and stepping into roles locally, including with a training provider and within a local authority.

Through all of that, he’s continued to build on his experience and qualifications.

Now, he heads up our ESOL programme here at BTU.

One thing that’s become really clear through our work on the ground is how important it is to have ESOL delivered by someone who not only understands the language, but also the lived experience behind it.

Being able to explain things in a way that truly lands, bridge cultural gaps, and build trust from the outset makes a huge difference to engagement and outcomes.

It’s something we consistently hear from the people we support, and something we actively feed back into the systems we work alongside.

Ghulam brings that, alongside his qualifications and experience.

He’s now supporting refugees and communities across different levels, helping people build confidence, independence and real opportunities.

This is exactly the kind of journey we’re here to support.

16/04/2026

Next time you’re in Tesco, you can help someone rebuild their life.

From 28 April, Bridge to Unity has been selected for the Tesco Stronger Starts in store vote.

You’ll be given a blue token at the checkout.

All you need to do is drop it into our box.

That small action helps us continue supporting families rebuilding their lives here in the UK, including many who have come from Ukraine after being forced to leave everything behind.

We are there on the ground creating safe spaces, community, and real support for people starting again.

It takes seconds, but it genuinely matters.

If you are in Tesco across Havant, Waterlooville, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Southbourne and nearby areas, keep an eye out for us.

And if you can, share this so others know too.

We will post the exact stores shortly.

15/04/2026

From the front line to your corner

We’re really proud to introduce Belgacem Amara to Bridge to Unity.

Belgacem is an NHS Paramedic and Flight Paramedic with over 13 years of experience across the UK, Qatar, Libya and Tunisia. He has worked in high pressure environments where trust, communication and quick decisions matter every single day.

But what really matters to us is this.

He knows what it feels like to arrive in a new country and have to figure everything out from scratch. A new system. A new culture. Trying to understand how things work while building a life at the same time.

That lived experience is what drives him.

At Bridge to Unity, we have always believed that the best support comes from people who truly understand it. Not just professionally, but personally.

Belgacem brings both.

He will be supporting Arabic speaking refugees and families across our communities. Helping people understand the NHS, navigate services, access the right support and feel more confident in where to go and who to trust.

It is about making things clearer. Reducing stress. Making sure no one feels like they are doing it alone.

This is another step in strengthening what we offer as an organisation and continuing to grow in the right way.

Please join us in giving Belgacem a very warm welcome 💙

📩 [email protected]

10/04/2026

There are moments where you pause and realise what’s quietly growing around you.

One of our new volunteers, Heidi, connected to a church community in Manly, Queensland, Australia, shared this with us this week.

Different place, same values. Community, care, people showing up for each other.

What we’re building has never really been about location. It’s about people, and those connections don’t stay still for long.

Grateful to have that link into Australia through someone who understands and believes in what we’re doing.

05/04/2026

This is what it looks like in real life.

People coming together. Taking time. Creating something steady for each other.

This Easter, we’re thinking of every family and every volunteer who continues to be part of this.

Thank you.

It’s built quietly. But it matters.

Happy Easter to all who are celebrating.

Address

Havant

Telephone

+441329600414

Website

http://www.bridgetounity.co.uk/

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