Glasgow charity Refuweegee gets free 6 months working space in city centre hotel

It comes following a social media campaign for local charities and non-profits to be nominated by YOTEL’s local community.

Refuweegee will receive use of the hotel’s private meeting space in rooftop bar and restaurant VEGA, providing a space for the charity to further its work in the local community, particularly with the latest opening of their new Refuweegee Shop, which allows people to choose their own essential items such as clothing and food.

Opening its doors to local charities for International Women’s Day in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, the hotel group asked for charity submissions across social media, with nominations for organisations doing incredible work for or with women in their cities.

YOTEL Glasgow will welcome Refuweegee into rooftop bar and restaurant VEGA, for use of its private meeting room for one full day per month over the next six months, for the charity to use however it wishes in the hotel’s city centre location.

A Glasgow institution, Refuweegee supports people arriving in the city who have been forcibly displaced. The community-led charity aims to enable the local community to extend the friendly welcome Glasgow is renowned for, through welcome packs, events and volunteer opportunities, allowing Glaswegians to fully embrace the city’s newest arrivals.

The charity offers various opportunities for getting involved, whether through writing your own welcome letter, donating essential items or fundraising. Refuweegee currently sends out around 50 clothing packs per week to families around the city, and have so far this year reached over 1000 with support packages, with this number set to increase drastically. The charity have recently opened their brand new Refuweegee Shop, allowing people to browse items of their own choosing, including clothing, household items, toys and food - all free of charge.

To make a donation or learn more about Refuweegee, visit www.refuweegee.co.uk.

Selina Hales, founder of Refuweegee said: “As a community-led charity, Refuweegee aims to welcome Glasgow’s newest arrivals with our city’s famous warm embrace, whether this is through a welcome letter, essential items and food packs or visiting our brand new Refuweegee Shop.

“Our shop aims to restore a level of dignity to our services, with people able to retain autonomy over the simplest things, such as the items of clothing they or their children may wear or the food they will eat. Demand for our services and support is higher than ever and we’ve seen with our recent office move how much additional space makes a difference in welcoming with dignity. We’re delighted that the local community in Glasgow submitted Refuweegee as a charity for YOTEL Glasgow to invite into their meeting space and we’re excited to use this opportunity to further our work over the next six months.”

As a small thank you for all of their work in Glasgow’s local community, YOTEL Glasgow has also offered Refuweegee a complimentary overnight stay for two in the hotel for the charity to use however it wishes. The charity has chosen to raffle off the overnight stay as part of its upcoming fundraisers.

Charity submissions were whittled down to a shortlist of five organisations spotlighted on YOTEL Glasgow’s social media channels this month, encouraging followers to explore the incredible work these non-profits are doing in their local communities. YOTEL Glasgow’s charity shortlist was: Refuweegee, Glasgow East Women’s Aid, AMMA Birth, Survivor Arts Community and SAY Women.

Neil Taylor, general manager at YOTEL Glasgow said, “We’re excited to welcome Refuweegee into our private meeting space in VEGA over the next few months, especially at such an important time for the charity. Refuweegee are a Glasgow institution and the work they are doing is vital to our city’s local community, so we’re thankful to be able to support them in some small way.”