AESSEAL is partnering with the Mears Foundation to help asylum-seekers, temporarily housed in Rotherham, to communicate with their families and support groups.

The two organisations are funding the purchase of more than 800 smartphones in an initiative that recognises the social and emotional needs for connectivity of a group that has in most cases experienced extreme hardship during their journey to the UK.

At any one time around 600 people, including individuals and family groups, are in temporary accommodation in Rotherham while their asylum claims are processed. The asylum-seekers come from various part of the world, including a number from conflict regions such as Afghanistan and Syria.

Mears provide accommodation and support on behalf of the UK Home Office in Rotherham and across Yorkshire.

The Mears Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable foundation which supports the communities where Mears works.

AESSEAL MD Chris Rea said:

The company heard about the asylum-seekers and wanted to help ensure that whatever the outcome of their case to remain in the UK, that they retained positive memories of Rotherham and its people.

These are displaced people and families with the same needs for emotional support and connectivity that we all have. It’s a joined-up world and smartphones give them access to information and important family and social support

Mears Foundation and AESSEAL, the Rotherham headquartered engineering company, are jointly financing the initiative to buy a stock of entry level but fully functional smartphones that are capable of internet connection and support video calling. This is in addition to the support provided by the UK government to those who arrive in the UK seeking asylum on a variety of grounds.

Heather Tyrer, General Manager of the Mears Foundation said:

We are proud to be partnering with AESSEAL to provide support for asylum seekers to communicate and get online. When people arrive in the UK, often fleeing persecution, living in a new community must seem daunting. We hope that by providing a link for them to be able to speak to relatives and to find out about their new local area, this will help them to settle into life in the UK.
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