Refugee and migrant services provider ACH has welcomed a new chair to its board.

Oona Goldsworthy, who has been the chief executive of Brunelcare since 2019, took over the role from Noelle Rumball at the start of October.

A board member for the National Care Forum and Care and Support West, co-chair of the Bristol One City Homes Board and a Trustee at mental health charity, Second Step, Oona brings more than two decades’ senior housing association experience to ACH.

Oona said: “I’ve hosted refugees in my home over a number of years, which has taught me about the importance of the fundamental human need for connection and having a safe and secure place to call home.

“Integration and community cohesion is at the core of everything ACH does and is essential, particularly during these difficult times, which compelled me to apply for their board role.

Oona was a guest speaker at ACH’s Welcome Party event in Bristol last year, which featured Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah as the special guest and was aimed at providing a platform for sharing inspiring stories of migrants’ and refugees’ success. Oona is also based in Bristol where ACH’s journey began back in 2008 and where its headquarters are located in Eastville.

Oona added: “I’ve known about ACH almost from its inception and have watched it grow and expand its work to provide not just housing, but wider support for refugees and migrants when no other agencies were able to help.

“On many occasions, I’ve seen how ACH has been there to bridge the gap for refugees and migrants between being granted asylum and finding their feet in a new country, which can involve numerous challenges.”

Oona’s ACH’S board colleagues are: Abdi Mohamed; Peter Dean; Museji A Takolia CBE; Nick Houghton-Brown; Sally Higham; Prask Sutton; Patricia Miranda; Amitoj Singh; Mika Abdullayeva; Nathan Anscombe; Jehangir Malik OBE and Helen Pennack.

Fuad Mahamed, CEO and Founder of ACH, said: “Having such a highly esteemed senior social housing professional at the helm of our Board, who is by no means a stranger to ACH, will provide us with an invaluable wealth of insight and expertise for the next three years.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we have already achieved and the widespread impact we have had so far on providing refugees and migrants with the opportunities they need to thrive in society. Now, with Oona on our board, I’m confident we will continue to further build upon our successes and empower even more refugees and migrants across the UK by providing them with the housing, training and tailored support services they need.”

Over the last 17 years, more than 20,000 refugees and migrants have received housing, training, career and business support from ACH.

Last year was ACH’s most successful year to date. More than 1,400 people were housed and more than 500 service users benefited from bespoke training and business advice.