Sheffield has a friendly community we can all be proud of. When Sally told me about the Poem-a-thon to raise money for local refugees and asylum seekers, I was delighted to be able to contribute and show those people in need of refuge that Sheffield welcomes them.

ASSIST support refused asylum seekers here in the city. These asylum seekers are not allowed to work, to register themselves as homeless or to be placed in local authority night shelters. Many become destitute, struggling daily for food, accommodation and clothing. This after having been forced to flee their homes and often leaving family behind, often having experienced war, rape and other trauma.

A day of back-to-back poetry readings from local poets will be well worth any cash you can donate. It's an enjoyable thing for poets to do - and I am sure we are all really grateful to the organisers for the opportunity to contribute (and dig deep in our own pockets too!) The finished event should be enjoyable for everyone who attends too.

Our Poem-a-thon will be hosted by the the Art House in Backfields - with its own cafe in the city centre. Entry is free and 50 poets will be reading from 10am - 6pm. There will be a bookstall, a tombola with great prizes, tea, coffee, cakes. Any other cash raised through sales on the day will go to charities supporting refugees stranded just across the Channel in Northern France.

Please consider making a payment to this Just Giving site, in lieu of a ticket for the event and in proud support for our neighbours from around the world. These are people who have fled their homelands, as part of a massive exodus from war, rape, hardship and have found themselves living alongside us here in Sheffield. We need to show them how proud we are to welcome them to our city.

ASSIST says that:

£5 could cover expenses for a weekend’s hospitality for an asylum seeker in need of somewhere to sleep
£17 could cover travel expenses to enable an asylum seeker to get to medical and legal appointments 
£20 could give a vulnerable asylum seeker a week’s ASSIST grant to enable them to buy some food

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.