howard mcsweeney1 wrote:The Samphire lot are trying to justify their existence so that the lottery money keeps coming. They were set up to assist detainees in jug. Our detention centre is now closed and when it was open none stayed in Dover after release so they are trying to drive a wedge between local residents and newer arrivals from Eastern Europe by trying to suggest there is a problem.
Howard is absolutely correct. Here's a copy of their latest annual report which states
' The closure of the Dover Immigration Removal Centre (DIRC) at the end of 2015 meant an end to our Detention SupportProject. As this project was the main reason Samphire was created in 2002 (under the name “Dover Detainee Visitor Group”), its ending meant that Samphire had to engage in serious “soul searching'
http://www.samphireproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Samphire-Annual-Report-2015-2016.pdf
It would appear that they have successfully searched their souls and now found another scam to apply for funding from lottery
http://gotlottery.uk/big-lottery-fund-samphire-6-443870 and others
http://www.samphireproject.org.uk/about/current-funders/ so that they can continue spending literally hundreds of thousands of pounds a year
http://opencharities.org/charities/1106667 on mobile phone cards etc and paying their ever expanding group of paid employees
http://www.samphireproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Job-Desc-DS-Coord-2015-1.pdf
In passing one wonders why mobile phones and cards are so necessary for those who had been detained for breaking Immigration Laws other than for 'phoning all their mates in West Africa to say 'Come on over lads! I've told Immigration that I'm in fear of my life as I'm a Christian/Gay/in fear of Boko Haram/opposed to the lawful government and they are about to give me asylum, in the mean time there's a load of self-loathing do-gooders in Dover who can't do enough for me whilst their own use foodbanks and sleep in doorways!'
(on the plus side they are offering a free cuppa at the Community Centre so I presume you'll be joining me Howard?)
