Aseel and Mohammad are loving school and Yousef seems to be bigger every time we see him.  Recently another Syrian family came to visit from Devon and Aseel and Mohammad were taken on the London Eye, which was a thrilling experience.

Unfortunately, Monther has had to give up the painting and decorating job, which he was enjoying, because of a recurring back problem and for a while needed a crutch. He is having treatment on his back and we hope he will soon be able to look for work again.  On the plus side being in a working environment was good for his English language skills.

Good News – the Al Masri family have a new home

In our last newsletter we mentioned that the family needed to move by the end of September.  They have been offered a flat in the same block where they are currently living.  They will move in November and their current landlords have generously agreed that they can stay in their present flat until November.  This means that the family can maintain their current networks and Aseel and Mohammad don’t need to move from their primary school which has been so supportive, or leave their friends. This is such a relief for the family.

We need your help to make a new home for the family

We are grateful for all the help that so many of you gave the Al Masri family when they arrived which enabled them to come to London and to make a new home – thank you!    Their new flat needs some repairs and basic decoration to make it a real home.  The estimated cost is £3,000 and contributions of any size will help.  Cheques, made payable to Hampstead Parish Church (CTiH Fund), can be mailed to: Community Sponsorship c/o Hampstead Parish Church, Church Row, Hampstead, NW3 6UU or contribute onlineto:  Hampstead Parish Church (CTiH fund) Sort code: 40 03 36  Account number:  11104004.  Please be sure to indicate CTiH fund.  Thank you!  If you need more information, please contact[email protected]

Stepping down

New commitments mean that after four years working on the Community Sponsorship project Sheena Ginnings is stepping down from the committee. She says that experiencing the friendship and affection of the Al Masri family has been such a joy and she has learnt so much from witnessing the courage, resilience, and humour of the family as they have found ways to settle into life in the UK.