SOS: Save our ESOL

Aim

SOS: Save our ESOL classes. Help us bridge a funding gap to continue our free English for Speakers of Other Languages

SOS: Save our ESOL 

Learning English changes lives for the better: a parent can talk to their child’s teacher, a patient can explain their symptoms to a doctor, a neighbour can join in a conversation on the street, a newly-arrived refugee can start to feel less alone.

At St Sidwell’s Centre, our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme is about far more than grammar and vocabulary. It is about community cohesion. It is about creating spaces where people from different backgrounds meet, build trust, and form meaningful relationships.

In a changing political climate, where division feels louder than connection, local spaces like ours matter more than ever. ESOL classes bring together volunteers and learners from across Exeter - people of different ages, faiths, nationalities, linguistic and cultural backgrounds  and life experiences - and create opportunities for genuine human connection. These relationships ripple outward into the wider community.

Many of our learners go on to volunteer at the centre themselves. The programme doesn't just support integration, it fosters true connections. People who arrive in Exeter feeling isolated often become active contributors to community life, supporting events, helping in sessions, and welcoming others in turn.

Alongside classes, we offer drop-in and 1:1 sessions and wider support for ESOL learners. These provide practical help with financial inclusion, forms, housing issues, employment questions, digital access and navigating local services. They also offer something harder to measure but just as important: a safe, consistent place to ask questions and be heard.

Our teaching is delivered by a committed team of trained volunteers. But to run safely and sustainably, the programme relies on coordination, infrastructure and support behind the scenes.

We are facing an unexpected and significant reduction in funding, at very short notice.

We need your help to keep our ESOL programme running.

This crowdfunder - our ESOL SOS - will provide urgent stop-gap funding while we secure longer-term income and develop more sustainable funding streams. Without this immediate support, the continuity of classes, drop-ins and learner support is at risk.

What your donation will support

“St. Sidwell Centre – is a place where we can feel kindness and human connection, everyone feels like at home, welcomed,  supported and safe, that’s why many people from different countries visit the Centre – many students come that sometimes there’s no available chair in the classroom so staff brings additional table and chairs.”

Although volunteers lead the teaching, the programme itself is not cost-free. To run effectively and safely, we need to fund:

• Volunteer expenses
• Student support costs - including access to nutritious cooked meals and our community fridge/pantry to support participation and improve financial wellbeing for students
• Room hire
• Staff coordination time
• Volunteer and student wellbeing support - everything from financial wellbeing to booking appointments
• Printing and learning materials
• Development and delivery of English for Specific Purposes courses that support people with daily life - from ESOL and managing your money to ESOL for driving in the UK, and ESOL and employment.
• Contribution to the essential “boring basics” — from insurance to loo roll

These are the unseen foundations that make community learning possible.

“My name is O and it has been almost two years since I came to the UK. During my early days here, I had lost all hope. I did not know where to go or how to start learning the language again. When we arrived …, my family and I constantly wondered how we could improve our lives, especially since our English was not strong.   

However, when we met the wonderful teacher Christiane, she gave us renewed hope and opened a new chapter in our lives. From the very first day I studied there, I realised that this community centre is unlike any other — it is exceptional. It helped me strengthen my language skills and brought many positive changes to my life and my family’s life.”   

What your gift could support 

£10 – travel, materials and a hot meal for a student to make our classes accessible

£25 – covers the cost of a Food and ESOL class, where participants cook together while practising English

£150 - covers the costs of one Drop-In afternoon, supporting up to 8 students per session - helping with everything from financial wellbeing to volunteering opportunities

£300 – pays for volunteer travel expenses for one of our group ESOL classes for one year of term-time classes

£500 – Covers the direct costs of one ESOL class for a whole term, for ~15 learners – that’s room hire, volunteer expenses, printing, and a contribution to coordination time.

£1500 - Childcare for our ESOL summer programme, reaching over 100 learners

Why this matters now

Many of our learners are refugees, people seeking sanctuary, or residents facing financial hardship and isolation. ESOL is not just about language, it is about confidence, independence and belonging.

Strong communities are built through everyday encounters: shared conversations, shared meals, shared learning. Our ESOL programme helps create those encounters. It strengthens social ties, supports integration, and enables people to contribute positively to the city we all share.

When funding changes happen suddenly, small community organisations feel the impact immediately. We do not have large reserves. We rely on a patchwork of grants, donations and community goodwill.

This campaign will help us bridge the gap - protecting classes, sustaining drop-in support, backing our volunteers, and ensuring learners are not left without the support they rely on - while we build stronger, long-term funding partnerships.

If you believe in communities where everyone has the chance to participate, contribute and belong, please consider giving today.

Answer our SOS and save our ESOL!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made