We are Refugee Support Group

Refugee Support Group upholds the spirit of The Refugee Convention of 1951, obligating the United Kingdom to protect and respect the rights of refugees.

Our Vision

Our vision is an inclusive society where Refugees and people seeking asylum are treated with humanity, dignity and respect. We strive for a society where basic human needs are met, and where Refugees can receive the support they need to play a role in their new community.

Our Mission

Our mission is to improve the lives of Refugees and people seeking asylum, providing support, advice, promotion, awareness and facilitating integration for the local community.

Our Strategic Objectives

Improving the quality of life experienced by refugees and asylum seekers by providing direct support, advice and assistance to individuals and families to integrate with, contribute to and benefit from the wider community.

Maximising the resources available to support refugees and asylum seekers.

Increasing awareness and campaigning about the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the area.

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Our staff

Nick Harborne

CEO

Nick worked with the homeless in London for four years and spent six years overseas with Children’s Aid Direct in various countries running humanitarian emergency aid development programmes. He spent a further six years as CEO at Reading Single Homeless Project (now Launchpad Reading) before joining Refugee Support Group in 2013.

Flora

Deputy C.E.O.

Flora joined Reading Refugee Support Group in 2008 as a volunteer and is now very happy to be part of the staff team. The cause of RRSG always has been close to her heart and working at RRSG has given her the opportunity to offer her help to clients on their long-suffering journey, as well as feeling part of a community where hospitality is in their heart.

Mahmuna

Casework Manager

Mahmuna qualified as a solicitor in 2009, first working in private client, qualifying in clinical negligence and personal injury law. After being asked to temporarily ‘help out' in a busy asylum law department, Mahmuna quickly realised she felt very passionate about this area of law and advocating human rights. Ten years later she hasn't looked back since. In her spare time Mahmuna enjoys theatre, picnics, travelling, and cake. Any cake.

Samera

Resettlement Team Officer (West Berks)

Samera worked as a Software Engineer for many years before joining RRSG. Samera enjoys her social life with family and friends, reading and listening to music.

Kathy

Office Manager

Kathy joined RSG as Office Manager in Sept 2023 and had knocked us all into shape by October 2023.

Rhiannon

Grants Officer

Rhiannon joined the team in May 2023 and has been hard at work ever since. We are still here so she must have been getting something right.

Ellie

Fundraising & Marketing Manager

Ellie spent 11 years living and working in NZ. With experience in NGOs and a passion for story telling she's bringing our client experiences to the forefront in our newsletters and comms.

Nargus

Caseworker

Nargus worked in family law after her law degree. She first started helping asylum seekers and refugees in the 1990s, particularly victims fleeing the conflicts in Bosnia and Somalia. Nargus also volunteered at Citizens Advice and Slough Refugee Support before joining RRSG as a caseworker. Her hobbies include painting landscapes and all things Jane Austen.

Bronte

Caseworker

Bronte began volunteering for RRSG during her Human Right Masters at the University of Reading at the end of 2019 and is excited to join as part of the staff team. She is also currently studying part-time for her doctorate in Law at the University of Reading. Bronte always wished to work in the charity sector in order to support people accessing their human rights, but it was a module course in Refugee law that sparked her interest specifically in asylum seekers and refugee rights. In her spare time, she plays tennis, enjoys dressmaking and painting.

Oscar

Resettlement Team Officer (Reading)

Oscar is passionate humanitarian and community fixer from Zimbabwe who has worked with the Reading borough Council as a Volunteer mentor to the Reading Youth Cabinet. He was co-founder and chair of Always Showing Talent, a social enterprise that provided a platform for young aspiring upcoming individuals to showcase their talents and grow in confidence as they pursue their ambitions, whether it be in business or entertainment. Oscar is a qualified paralegal and has featured in national digital campaigns with ITV news highlighting social issues affecting youth in his community on 2 occasions, he then joined RRSG as a volunteer caseworker before becoming a full-time Resettlement Officer working closely with the Afghan community in Reading.

Sorrel

Caseworker

Sorrel did her placement from Reading University with RSG and stayed. 12 months later she has passed her OISC (now IAA) level 1 and 2 exams and is an essential part of our casework team.

Tatiana

Ukraine Response Coordinator

Tatiana is from Ukraine and joined RSG in March 2022. She comes from an entrepreneurial background, but since the war started in Ukraine, Tatiana wanted to get involved and help. Her role involves: helping the Ukrainian families with sharing information; signposting to the right organisations as well as assisting with translation and communication. Tatiana loves spending time with her family and friends, visiting theatre, playing badminton and travelling the world.

Muhannad

Resettlement Team Officer (Reading)

Muhannad has been a part of the RSG team for many years. He volunteered as a coordiator at our drop-in before joining the resettlement team.

Kate

Ukrainian Response Coordinator

I am originally from Estonia and have lived in the UK for 20 years. I began volunteering with the Refugee Support Group two years ago when the war in Ukraine began, a cause that is deeply personal to me. Now, as the Ukrainian Resettlement Program Outreach Worker, I am dedicated to advocating for human rights and striving for an end to the conflict. In my free time, I enjoy the vibrant art of belly dancing, learning new languages and watching Sci-Fi TV shows

Jude Haste

Creative Activities Consultant

In a world increasingly divided, I believe it is more important than ever to use arts and culture to connect, write and reclaim our individual and collective narratives to inspire and implement social change. As a theatre maker and educator, I have worked for the last twenty years focusing on marginalised communities. It is my passion to ensure those who are unfairly disadvantaged and suffer multiple exclusions are given equal opportunities to ensure skills development, connection and opportunity.

Anezka

Office Administrator

I have worked as an officer providing administrative support in the non-commercial sector over 10 years in Hong Kong. It is my pleasure to apply my past work experience to serve the community here. I am also enthusiastic to meet people from different cultures and share our experience to adapt into new environment.

Hamid

Interpreter

Our Trustees

Sarah Vawda

Chair

Sarah has over 10 years experience as a Non Executive Director, Trustee and Governor in multiple global businesses, a charity and a university. She is currently the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Pulsar Group plc and Non-Executive Director of Hamlet Protein A/S and Noveltech Private Feeds Ltd. She also has over 30 years corporate development, M&A and business transformation experience gained through senior executive roles across multiple industries. She qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC. She is passionate about human rights and the current situation with refugees, helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds, diversity in the workplace and mentoring women and girls. She hopes to bring her broad experience to help RSG continue to deliver its impactful and valuable work.

Mary Richardson

Vice Chair

Mary Richardson is a Professor of Education at the UCL Institute of Education in London. Mary's research interests have always focused on human rights and she is proud to help lead RRSG and show those who most need it, some kindness, a warm welcome and support that demonstrates the diversity and sanctuary offered by Reading and its population.

Sam Lee

Trustee

I use the skills and knowledge I have gained over 30 years in sales and marketing to help individuals and businesses perform better. Having worked for both marketing agencies and large global brands at executive levels, I understand how to deliver a marketing function that transforms a business challenging the status quo.

Thabo Makuyana

Trustee

Thabo Makuyana is a Human Rights activist and campaigner from Zimbabwe. Thabo has been in the UK for twenty years and is an activist with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO). Thabo brings lived experience to the board of trustees to support its commitment towards becoming a user informed organisation.

Andrea Cleaver

Trustee

Andrea is CEO of the Welsh Refugee Council with over 24 years of experience supporting communities across the UK. She has worked in grants at Welsh Government and The National Lottery Community Fund, supporting projects in health, environment, education, and poverty. Andrea is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion and ensuring those facing disadvantage have equal access to opportunity. She serves on UK forums like the Third Sector Partnership Council and Home Office Strategic Engagement Group, providing asylum and refugee insights.

Doon Lovett

Trustee

Doon, now retired, qualified as a GP in 1990. A break from working as a GP to bring up her family allowed her to retrain as a textile conservator in 2001. She returned to General Practice, joining Tilehurst Surgery in 2007 and became a Partner in 2015. Her medical interests are rheumatology, family planning, depression & palliative care. She was a strong advocate of/for her patients, particularly supporting victims and survivors of domestic violence abuse as well as teaching on the subject. Doon remains passionate about 'old fashioned holistic' GP care.

Yasmine Summers

Trustee

Joined October 2024.

Natalie

Trustee

Yasmine has experience as a legal aid caseworker, specifically working with homeless asylum seekers with Asylum Aid where she began as a volunteer and worked in various roles. Currently Yasmine works as an Executive Assistant at the Helen Bamber Foundation Group, supporting the Board of Trustees at both the Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid as well as working with the Executive on various projects, including partnership coordination and strategy development. From these positions Yasmine has an understanding of the hardships faced by refugees and asylum seekers and the challenges faced by the NGO sector trying to help them.

Harriet Parfitt

Trustee

Harriet hopes to use her experience as a Charity solicitor to benefit RSG. She has previously spent time practising international law, has experience teaching public law as a volunteer, and has published work on immigration law: all areas of expertise that help shape the policy and direction of, and client’s priorities at, RSG. Born and raised in and around Reading, Harriet is well connected in the community and is passionate about helping those in need thrive, within the local area and beyond

We are Refugee Support Group

Refugee Support Group upholds the spirit of The Refugee Convention of 1951, obligating the United Kingdom to protect and respect the rights of refugees.

Our Vision

Our Mission

Our Strategic Objectives

Our staff

Nick Harborne

CEO

Flora

Deputy C.E.O.

Mahmuna

Casework Manager

Samera

Resettlement Team Officer (West Berks)

Kathy

Office Manager

Rhiannon

Grants Officer

Ellie

Fundraising & Marketing Manager

Nargus

Caseworker

Bronte

Caseworker

Oscar

Resettlement Team Officer (Reading)

Sorrel

Caseworker

Tatiana

Ukraine Response Coordinator

Muhannad

Resettlement Team Officer (Reading)

Kate

Ukrainian Response Coordinator

Jude Haste

Creative Activities Consultant

Anezka

Office Administrator

Hamid

Interpreter

Our Trustees

Sarah Vawda

Chair

Mary Richardson

Vice Chair

Sam Lee

Trustee

Thabo Makuyana

Trustee

Andrea Cleaver

Trustee

Doon Lovett

Trustee

Yasmine Summers

Trustee

Natalie

Trustee

Harriet Parfitt

Trustee

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