Achievements 2023-2024

Melting Pot Project Community Interest Company opened our 1st Nurture Centre at Crawley Youth & Community Centre, Longmere Road, West Green, Crawley, 

RH10 8ND. 

We continue to deliver a weekly ESOL and wellbeing session here 10am-12pm each Wednesday for up to 12 intermediate to advanced students from diverse backgrounds. 

 4 have recently passed their L1 and L2 Trinity ESOL Skills for Life exam, some have progressed into employment or moved out of the area. 

We currently have space for 6-8 more learners Entry Level 3 (intermediate) - Level 1/Level 2 (Advanced).

We are now registered to offer an array of Trinity qualifications including ESOL Skills for Life at all levels, ISE (Integrated Skills in English), GESE (Graded Examinations in Spoken English) and we hope soon to be offering TESOL which will allow for more, much needed ESOL Teachers to be trained and become qualified. 

Our 1st cohort of exams took place at Crawley Youth and Community Centre on 14th February 2024 and it was a great success! 

In collaboration with Mary Frances Trust and Refugees Welcome Crawley, we successfully delivered ESOL and Mental Wellbeing Sessions for 4 hours/week over a period of 28 weeks to 83 gentlemen at a local hotel plus a further 4 in central Crawley. 

We continue to receive requests for classes and wellbeing support from asylum seekers and refugees as they have difficulty finding this flexible offer elsewhere. We therefore continue to seek funding which will enable us to offer more courses. 

With much thanks to 20 weeks worth of funding from Crawley Borough Council and Horsham District Council we have been providing ESOL classes to Ukrainians living in Crawley, Horsham or nearby. 

We have a small class for Beginners (Pre-Entry to Entry Level 2) in Horsham at Blackbridge Community Centre, Mondays 12:30-2:30pm, currently serving a small group of 6-8 but we have plenty of space for more. Tea/Coffee & biscuits included!

We also have a class at Crawley Town Hall every Tuesday 12:30-2:30pm for Mixed Ability Levels and have delivered to 25 Ukrainians so far. We still have space to welcome more.

We helped out at an exciting event for families in Crawley with special guests 

Santa and his Elf. 

We provided Christmas story-telling, nursery rhymes and lots of Christmas themed colouring in.

We also helped out with a Christmas Party for residents at Broadfield Park, about 50 attendees! They enjoyed food, drink and some fun Christmas games such as throw the Christmas pudding (in the form of a juggling ball) through the basketball net.

We have been delivering a safe haven at 

 'The Cabin' in Broadfield Park, for local residents, many of whom are vulnerable, to come and enjoy a tea/coffee & light refreshments in a non-clinical, friendly environment.

 The focus is on Mental Wellbeing so useful resources are provided to those who attend as well as those who do not (sometimes due to social anxiety) and helpful contact numbers and crisis lines are shared.

In addition to a meet-up for 2 hours each week, we provide a caring and confidential WhatsApp group as a life-line to residents involved in the project as well as one to one support.

 We encourage Suicide Prevention Training and Awareness and literally aim to help save lives by talking, caring and sharing. In the last year we have helped to prevent at least 2 possible suicide attempts. Our Executive Director, Anna Rosa completed Suicide Prevention Training in 2023.

Debs, the Community Engagement Officer for Caridon Property also provides support and assistance with further signposting and financial support fund applications. We make a great team and the residents are such a joy to spend time with. 

We have been promoting a new FREE, accredited course to be held at

 'The Cabin' in Broadfield Park, for local residents inside and outside of Broadfield Park. 

In Partnership with SPS Training Solutions Ltd we are offering a City & Guilds Extended Certificate in Employability Skills for 12 adults aged 19 or over, who are in receipt of Universal Credit, Jobseekers Allowance or who are simply unemployed and economically independent. 

The course will run from Wednesday 13th March 2024, 1-4pm every Wednesday and Thursday for 15 weeks. 

Portfolio based, no exams.

We have successfully recruited, from amongst our existing and more recent student base, 8 volunteers plus a superb volunteer via Crawley Volunteer Centre. 

They have assisted with a variety of projects including when we had a stall at the 'WSCC Thoughtful event for refugees' at St Wilfrid's School, Crawley, Summer Activities for Children in Crawley and our Mental Wellbeing Sessions.

We also supported a local resident to collect free, surplus food from other Olio volunteers to help feed his neighbours at Broadfield Park when things got tough financially.  

Our Executive Director, Anna Rosa also became an Olio Ambassador and Volunteer when she saw they

 extent of the need out there. We also signpost to local food banks and support funds.