(Some of) What we did this week…

• Debriefed a great weekend of January meals (including our very first meal in Leeds!) and started setting up and promoting your confirmed February meals 🥗
• Continued preparing for our first meal in Manchester in February 🚀
• Began our search for an advertising consultant (see below) 📣

Book onto our trauma informed support training 🧠

We've organised for the amazing team at YMCA Leicestershire to provide all our leaders and LEAG members with a free online ****trauma informed support training session.

You'll leave the session with an understanding of:

• What trauma is, and its impact if left unresolved
• What being 'trauma informed' means
• How you can help contribute to creating a trauma informed environment

We've organised two of these training sessions - one on Tue 3rd Feb (5:30-7:30pm), the other on Wed 4th Feb (5:30-7:30pm) so you can choose a date which suits you best.

You can choose and book your slot here: https://calendly.com/localwelcome/local-welcome-trauma-informed-support-training?month=2026-02&date=2026-02-03

Please note, attending a session is not compulsory! But, we really recommend it - we had positive feedback from those who attended the last session we organised.

We’re looking for a social media advertising specialist 📣

We’re on the lookout for an advertising consultant to help us develop our social media advertising strategy!

• Read more here (click on the arrow to expand)

Running Local Welcome meals during religious fasting holidays

A few groups have noted that Ramadan is soon, and have been in touch to ask us whether it will impact attendance, and how it might work for anyone who’s fasting. We’re sure there’s more of you who’ve had the same questions running through your minds, as you’re sensitive to the needs of everyone in your group.

Here’s what data from previous years can tell us:

• Attendances recorded for meals during Ramadan/Eid last year ranged from 7 to 21. During Ramadan/Eid in 2024 (10 Mar - 10 Apr) meal attendance ranged from 21 to 34.