Peckham Town will welcome Peckham Sponsors Refugees to their London FA Trophy match against Croydon FC at the Menace Arena this Saturday.
Peckham Sponsors Refugees (PSR) is a local voluntary organisation that has recently reformed to sponsor a second refugee family to live in Peckham.
The club will host them for the cup tie, which also coincides with FARE’s Football People Week. PSR will have a stand at the match with details about their plans and how to support a second family settle in Peckham.
Bryan Hall, chairman of Peckham Town, said: “When I heard about the aims of the PSR, it was a no-brainer for me. We are an inclusive football club, and an inclusive community. It’s only natural that we want to help a family improve their lives in Peckham, and hopefully become part of the Menace family, too.”
Simon Canter, chair of PSR, added: “An estimated 2.6 million people live in refugee camps, often in appalling conditions.
“It’s easy to feel helpless about the refugee crisis but the Community Sponsorship scheme is an amazing opportunity to really make a difference by providing a home and new life to one of these families.
“We want to spread the word that our incredible, diverse and generous Peckham community welcomes refugees. That’s why we’re so grateful to Peckham Town FC for the event with the mighty Menace, which is such a brilliant gesture.”
In March 2019, PSR welcomed its first family – from Syria – to Peckham under the government’s Community Sponsorship Scheme.
Hassan, his wife, five children and daughter-in-law were forced to leave Syria during the civil war after airstrikes damaged their home. They fled to Jordan where they applied to the United Nations Refugee Agency to be resettled in another country.
With support from the local community, PSR found a home for the family and helped them sign up to health care services, enrol the children into local schools and improve their English language skills.
Hassan said: “We were so happy when we came to Britain. In Europe, we have rights and a future. We encourage volunteers to bring another family here in the same way they brought us.”
The club added: “We hope that the Peckham community will turn out in numbers to support the team in the LFA Trophy first-round match versus Croydon FC, and also show solidarity to PSR’s Refugees fundraising efforts.
“The match will kick off at 12.30, and we ask you to arrive a little early by 12.15 to hear from PSR and learn more about their campaign.
“We hope that the early kick off will allow supporters of other teams in the local area to visit our match, and also attend their 3pm kick offs, such as Dulwich Hamlet, Fisher and Charlton Athletic fans.
“It’s also the international break, so we hope that Premier League and Championship football fans may venture to the Menace, too.
“The attendance record at the Menace is 275, and it would be great to beat that. So please encourage your friends and family to come to the match.”
Entrance is £3 for adults and free for under-16s. Programmes are £1 and a raffle ticket is also £1.