Community charity moves to bigger town centre home

Anjali Sule and Pratchi Katdare, from the ICM integration team, are both co-founders of the charity

A charity which gives English language classes to migrants and asylum seekers has celebrated moving to a larger town centre building.

Ipswich Community Media (ICM) has taken over two floors of Westgate House in Museum Street.

Nikki Packham, ICM operations director, said the group was welcoming in almost 300 people every week.

The charity will mark its 10th anniversary next year.

"The people on our courses often tell us they find them life-changing," said Ms Packham.

"Especially coming out of Covid, where people felt very isolated, being able to come and be part of a community is often a lifeline for people.

"We pride ourselves on being a grassroots organisation, and we very much believe in making communities from the wealth of different people who come and make Ipswich their home."

The charity also runs youth projects and supports people with mental health challenges.

ICM operations director Nikki Packham spoke to the BBC at the charity's fundraising push, which includes a Christmas fair at Burlington Baptist Church on Saturday

Prachi Katdare, the integration team director, said the charity's previous space had only one teaching room which could hold about 10 people, whereas the new building had two separate teaching rooms.

"We are just so excited to be all together under one roof," she explained.

She said the larger space would improve interaction within and between different communities.

"It is all about integration - people coming together and learning about each other and just understanding that everybody is just a human being."

The ICM team took over the build at the end of the summer and have been refurbishing the inside

Along with over 12 language courses a week, ICM runs:

• South Street Kids - providing free weekly sessions targeted at young people aimed at building confidence

• Making Waves - a weekly music and media project for at-risk children and young people experiencing difficult challenges in their lives

• The Emulate Project - an "Urban Campfire" designed for boys and young men aged 16-25

• Maternity Project - for migrant women from the Westgate Ward area of Ipswich, aiming at improving engagement and trust in local maternity and health services

• New Gen - for young people aged 13-19 interested in music technology, song writing and performing

Nellie Kuma, project officer for Talking About Cancer Together in Suffolk, attended the ICM launch, playing a game to move sweets with chopsticks against the clock