Nikki has been a Quaker for 12 years, and was involved in setting up Friendly Welcome in 2020. She was Project Lead for Friendly Welcome's resettlement of a Syrian refugee family in London, which included liaison with the Home Office and local authority, as well as recruitment and support of volunteers. She then worked closely with other Quakers to enable a young Palestinian woman to leave Gaza and study in Europe. Before her retirement Nikki worked for 30 years in the NHS, developing specialist services to support socially marginalised men and women to live safer and more satisfying lives. Both in her professional life and in Friendly Welcome, she has seen the transformation that effective support, and access to the right opportunities, can bring. She is committed to working for equality and peace in a spirit of love and respect for all life. 

Ruth first came to Quakers 21 years ago.  She initially trained as a teacher, then worked in schools, further and higher education as well as with adult learners. She spent time with the Cambridgeshire Community Education service, recruiting and supporting volunteers for community-based activities. For 20 years before retirement, she worked in social research, specialising in how adults and young people can be helped to make choices about education and employment. This included many European collaborations, and, after six months in Kosovo, also projects on the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers. She served on advisory and support groups for refugees in Cambridge and in London, and more recently helped her local Quaker meeting in the development of Friendly Welcome.

Sara started work as a teacher then a community worker, supporting local voluntary organisations in the London Borough of Camden. Returning to work after a period at home with children, she joined the BBC as a researcher moving on to become a producer and director. Her documentaries and dramas mainly explored social issues through personal stories, winning a number of awards. 

Sara has been a Quaker for over 40 years and for six of these was a Trustee of Quaker Social Action, while also volunteering on their funeral helpline, a service aimed at giving support to the recently bereaved and reducing the impact of funeral-related debt. Sara joined the first Friendly Welcome project in 2022, acting as Education Lead, and is now leading on university liaison with Friendly Welcome Gaza.