Emotional and practical support provided by a Dover charity to detainees will continue for the next three years thanks to a Big Lottery grant.
Dover Detainee Visitor Group (DDVG) has been awarded a £201,488 Reaching Communities Grant, to be spread over four years, by the National Lottery to provide funding for the charity’s Detention Support and Awareness project.
This work includes organising visitors to men detained at Dover Immigration Removal Centre (DIRC), legal advice where it is not available through legal aid and improving understanding within the community about issues relating to detention and asylum.
DDVG trains and supports volunteer visitors for detainees and the positive impact of its activities, training, information and services on the local community and among detainees, has been widely recognised since it was founded in 2002.
The charity organises talks, produces public information brochures and attends local events to raise awareness and eliminate misunderstandings about immigration and detention-related issues.
DDVG has worked with Kent Refugee Action Network, Bail for Immigration Detainees, Medical Justice and Refugee Action and others. Its roles also include helping detainees released into the community and facilitating their integration.
See this week's Dover Mercury for more details.