A Wolverhampton based charity has been praised after being named Charity of the Year by the Guardian newspaper.
The Refugee and Migrant Centre, which supports new and emerging communities in Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Birmingham, was one of 5 winners of the award after being shortlisted from over 900 small and medium sized charities across the country.
Councillor Ian Claymore, Chair of the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Equality Advisory Group, said: “I would like to congratulate the Refugee and Migrant Centre on winning the Guardian Charity Award 2016, which is richly deserved.
“It will enable the organisation to further address mental health issues among traumatised asylum seekers. Not surprisingly, many of the people the RMC supports suffer from mental health issues, often due to experiences they have gone through in their home country or because of the often harrowing journey they have made to places of sanctuary.
“The judges at the Guardian were right to praise this organisation, and were very impressed by the depth and breadth of the service provided by the RMC.”
The RMC’s Chair of Trustees Martin Cartwright said: “We are thrilled that the tireless and dedicated work of staff and volunteers at RMC has been recognised in this way. For 17 years we have been providing broad ranging support to enable refugees and migrants to settle and contribute to their local communities as quickly as possible; without this service many very vulnerable individuals and families would have nowhere else to turn.”
RMC CEO Arten Llazari added: “This is a real pat on the back for our organisation. We operate in an increasingly challenging environment and this kind of recognition motivates us to continue addressing the needs of thousands of vulnerable and marginalised people who rely on RMC’s services every year.”