What we do  
1) Non-judgemental befriending of immigration detainees in Haslar is the core service offered. Visits can be simply to chat and offer a little warmth and friendship, and this is considered perfectly valid by the group. However, with detainees naturally very anxious about their legal situation, and not very familiar with either the English language or UK immigration procedures, some visitors do sometimes become involved in helping to find solicitors and sureties (people to put up bail).

2) We run a “Drop-In” for asylum seekers in Portsmouth. This operates twice a week and people can come and go at will and have access to various professional services without charge or appointment. Tea coffee fruit and sandwiches are available free of charge so people can have a drink and meet their friends while they wait to see someone. Some people come very single-mindedly to see one of the professionals but others drop-in simply to have a coffee and meet their friends. That’s fine by us.

3) We run a fund to help men released on bail from Haslar and destitute asylum-seekers in the community. Asylum seekers receive at best 70% of the official British benefits and some don’t receive anything at all. They are not allowed to work.

4) Consciousness-raising in the wider community is part of our remit. Lectures are given at local colleges. Meetings are held in a large number of local churches. Articles are published in the local press and a number MPs are lobbied about specific cases.

Some really “easy” ways to raise money for Haslar Visitors Group

By using the 'Easyfundraising' site, each time you shop online at a whole range of shops including; Amazon, Itunes, Debenhams, John Lewis, Currys, House of Fraser, Waterstones and many more a donation is automatically generated for HVG.  

The only thing you must do is to go through the 'Easyfundraising' website before you begin to shop. It will take just a couple of seconds to register. Please use this link: http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/haslarvg.  

Once you have registered you can then search for the online shop you need. Then as you begin every new shopping experience just enter your shop of choice via easyfundraising.org.uk. It is as simple as that and won’t cost you a penny.

Easysearch is another simple and free way you can raise money for HVG. Easysearch is a search engine just like Google however for every completed search you make on Easysearch you will raise 0.5p for HVG. Go to http://haslarvg.easysearch.org.uk/  to start searching.

Finally if you would like to make a donation to support the work of HVG please go to our JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/hvg.