About Us
RST is a small volunteer-led charity that provides grants to asylum seekers and refugees living in Scotland. These grants either alleviate poverty and destitution, or help refugees and asylum seekers to overcome obstacles in accessing educational and employment opportunities.
RST uses the information and experience gained from providing these grants to encourage procedural changes on the part of UK Border Agency (UKBA) in Glasgow, and also to encourage the Home Office and the Scottish Government to improve conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland.
Who We Are
After 18 months without a paid member of staff, we have secured a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to employ a new Development Manager. As RST is such a small organisation, it can only exist with the continued support and expertise of its Board of Directors and the help of a dedicated team of volunteers.
 | Michelle Lowe Development Manager | Michelle Lowe has a background in human rights and social justice work and comes to RST from Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust where she co-ordinated a network of violence against women prevention agencies. She started work at the beginning of December 2010 and will be working three days a week. |
 | Eileen Baxendale Chair of the Board | Eileen has recently become Chair of the Refugee Survival Trust Board. She has worked voluntarily with asylum seekers in Glasgow for the last 10 years, helping co-ordinate the Castlemilk Churches Together Refugee Centre, till it closed and now helping in other ways. Before that she was a Social Work Manager in Glasgow for many years. |
 | Philippa Bonella Board Member | Philippa joined the board in September 2010. In her day job she has worked for a range of different voluntary organisations with a focus on international development and equalities. She brings a knowledge of policy development, research and campaigns to the board. |
 | Judith Crichton Board Member | Judith is a member of the Chartered Association of Management Accounts with many years experience working in private & public sector organisations. In the last 10 years a primary focus on charities having worked for RNIB, Citizens Advice Scotland, SCVO & now more recently Changeworks based in Edinburgh. |
 | Rosemarie McIlwhan Board Member | Rosemarie is a human rights and equality consultant. She is also an associate lecturer in law with the Open University and an Associate with Edinburgh University Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland. Rosemarie has written and lectured on a range of human rights subjects including the interplay between equality and human rights, asylum, children's rights and mental health. Rosemarie is also a member of the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal. Rosemarie was previously the Programme Director for the Commission for Equality and Human Rights and prior to that she was the Director of the Scottish Human Rights Centre. |
 | Sue Martin Board Member | Sue Martin was an Assistant Programme Director with Save the Children in Scotland up until Jan 2009. She established Scotland Programme's work with refugee and asylum seekers and was given a Save the Children Lifetime Achievement Award for this work. She continues her involvement with Save the Children as a facilitator for their leadership and senior management development courses in the UK, Africa and Asia. Since leaving Save the Children, Sue has been able to pursue her interest in counselling while still working to promote children's rights. Currently, Sue is employed by Edinburgh and Lothian Council on Alcohol as a counsellor for women with alcohol problems; as a supervisor for counsellors working on ChildLine's helpline for children. Sue has also acted as a safeguarder for children involved in the children's hearing system in West Lothian. |
 | Annie Padwick Volunteer | Annie is the volunteer web manager at RST. She also works for Young Scot, the national youth information charity for Scotland and has previously been a volunteer at the Scottish Refugee Council. |
Refugee Survival Trust is a member of NIDOS - the Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland.
