We love being based in Manor Park and have enjoyed it for the last 35 years. If you’re busy, it might be easy to rush through Manor Park along the busy Romford Road. But if you take time to stop and look around, you’ll find a diverse and caring community.

Recently, a family (mum, dad and children) came into AMCC as they thought it looked like somewhere they could get help. 

They were an Afghan family who had recently arrived in the UK and were looking for some support. 

Our reception team welcomed them in, but they quickly found there was a language barrier, making it difficult to understand one another. 

But that wasn’t going to stop us. Shaida (one of our reception team) took to Romford Road to call on the support of the community. 

With over 100 languages spoken in Newham (over 200 if you count dialects), she was sure to find someone who spoke the same dialect and could help. 

Success came when Shaida was able to find a local person in the meat shop who spoke Pashto and kindly came to interpret.

With someone on-site to translate, Shaida was able to offer a range of support to the family. She was able to:

  • Signpost the family to Family Navigators, who have since supported them in enrolling the children into schools and completing online applications
  • Help them complete their GP registration forms so that they could access healthcare
  • Signpost them to Manor Park Library for library services
  • Connect them with a food bank in Ilford, which has since delivered them an emergency food pack 
  • Signpost them to Skills Enterprise, who are now helping the family access financial support through benefits

We were also able to invite them to our community day (organised by our youth-team to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Aston-Mansfield Community Centre.) 

It was lovely to see that the whole family attended and stayed for the full duration. They were able to enjoy a meal together and take part in the activities run by the youth team (including creating this beautiful  elephant design). 

Community events are so valuable in giving families the chance to access free activities, share a hot meal in a welcoming environment and get to know others in the community.

"Moving to a new country is extremely difficult, especially for large families, and I believe that as service providers it is our duty to help as much as possible. Personally, I find great satisfaction in being able to support people during such challenging times."

Shaida (Reception Team)

We want to say a big thank you to our impromptu-interpreter and all the other wonderful members of our community who look out for one another.  

Community is at the heart of what we do, and we are privileged to be based in such a diverse and caring community as Manor Park and Newham.