Paul Cliffe at the POA Learning Centre at Intake & Belle Vue, in Doncaster has been working closely with the local community, and focusing on helping the areas that need the most support.

In Doncaster there is a large Nepalese community who Church Minister Andrew works closely with, many of whom have served in the British Army in The Brigade of Gurkhas. On completion of their active duty many have chosen to settle in Doncaster. As a result of this, a large community has developed in and around Intake, Doncaster. Andrew was interested in developing an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) project for the Nepalese community to help them better interact within the wider community as a whole but also, through language, develop links and establish networks to promote prosperity for all. 

The large Nepalese community regularly attend the church services but the understanding of the sermons spoken in English has not always been easy for them. It was at this point that Andrew realised that life can be difficult if you have no basic understanding of the English language. That’s where POA Learning came into the equation, a chance meeting between Andrew and Paul led to the development of a link centre in their local church, in the heart of the local Nepalese community. The ESOL group has gone from strength to strength and has had a year of continued attendance, with some of the learners in their late seventies still enthusiastic to learn and develop their language skills. 

Paul from POA Learning said:

The sessions are based around everyday situations, from catching the bus to talking to the doctor about medication, they are designed to aid conversation among the group but also out in the wider community.

As the group has developed, so has the community involvement that supports the learning. During the school holidays, first generation British Nepalese children have used their holidays to help their elders and volunteered to support their learning.

Church Minister Andrew said:

A big thank you to the volunteers and Paul for making these sessions come to life.

Watching the young people translate and teach their elders has been amazing, the learners and us have made great leaps in English and Nepalese and it is great to see learning across different generations."

Grace, one of the teaching volunteers added:

This has been one of the most enjoyable classes I have ever taught, the girls are fantastic to watch as they as they strip out the language barrier and make learning lightning fast."

Paul hopes that the classes continue to develop and flourish over the next few months.