, Author at Penrith And Eden Refugee Network

OISC2 Regulated!

PERN is proud to announce that we are now an OISC2 regulated body for asylum and protection. It’s a big step on a long journey to ensure that all people seeking asylum living in Cumbria get the legal support they need and are entitled to in order to make their best asylum case possible. Congratulations… Continue reading OISC2 Regulated!

Asylum seekers and refugees in our community

Over the past few weeks, several hundred refugees and people seeking asylum have moved to Cumbria. PERN members and other people who already live in Cumbria are actively welcoming and supporting the newcomers. We welcome this demonstration of empathy and compassion – it is what we do and who we are. However, there is a… Continue reading Asylum seekers and refugees in our community

Film and social on Sunday 27 March

Please come along to the Alhambra cinema in Penrith at 17.45 to watch Flee, and join PERN members in the Fell bar afterwards at 52 King St, Penrith, CA11 7AY. Based on the true story of a child refugee’s journey from Afghanistan to Denmark, Flee is described as ‘a masterful blend of animation and documentary,… Continue reading Film and social on Sunday 27 March

Nationality and Borders Bill

This is a crucial piece of legislation and, from the very outset, hundreds of organisations, including PERN, have opposed its cruel approach to the asylum system. It would see refugees treated differently depending on how they arrive in the UK, be criminalised for entering irregularly, and potentially be flown overseas to have their asylum application… Continue reading Nationality and Borders Bill

Emma Gray

I’m the Secretary of PERN, having joined the network in 2019 as an English language host at Penrith Library. I now co-run our online English language groups. My background is in journalism, press freedom and human rights. I’ve witnessed the plight of people forced to leave their homes because of wars and persecution, and want… Continue reading Emma Gray

Leo Liu

When I came to the UK, I need to find more opportunities to improve my English. But it is difficult due to the pandemic. So, I joined the English club in the last year. Our teachers are experienced. In the English club, I practice English and meet many new friends. This people have some interesting… Continue reading Leo Liu

Miranda Delgado

Hi, I came to the UK two years ago, I’m a Spanish speaker and to speak English have been so difficult to me, although I have been taking class. Joining to The PERN English Club was really good because I could get to know new people of different places, to share different traditions and to… Continue reading Miranda Delgado

Marlene Elizabeth Ascencio Arriaga

I joined PERN’s online English Conversation Club in September 2020. I like the classes, what I loved the most is that there is freedom of expression and I learned new words, and how to pronounce them too. I like that we talk about different topics because I learn vocabulary of everything.

Roula Abdulkarim

Hello, my name is Roula and I am from Aleppo Syria. I studied Business and Finance in Aleppo and worked in an International Telecommunications Company, and I worked in a bank. After a long journey and a long wait of over two years, I was finally able to join my husband in the UK in… Continue reading Roula Abdulkarim

Naser ShariatPanah

Naser was a founder member of the Dunkirk Adult Learning Centre with Sarah Wilson back in 2015. Many of you will remember the stunning slides of Kurdistan Iran that he showed when he visited Penrith a few years ago. He has studied English diligently and here he writes of his experience. “Leaving one’s homeland is… Continue reading Naser ShariatPanah