#Here I Am

She Is Me


She is a fighter and has fought a thousand battles


She has been hurt and broken and sometimes hides her scars

In her journey she meets lonely, loving and hateful people but she cares for them and never gives up on them.

She knows everyone is fighting their own battle.


Her past is ugly but she is beautiful.


She keeps on moving and never looks back


An angel whispered to her ‘Hold on don’t despair, you are not alone, Love is all there is, we are only pieces.’


She is me.


by Jeanette

Our family has been separated during lockdown in March, April, May and June of 2020 due to the corona virus - and wanting to keep ourselves and each other safe from the virus.
Every picture tells a story - and this one is no exception.

As with most families, we have been meeting up online during the lockdown and doing quizzes and generally chatting and sharing news. The youngest member of the family has learned to walk and talk during lockdown, and has been at home all the time with her mum who has been furloughed. The family is grateful or the online opportunity to see her showing off her new skills.
Some of the members of the family have been furloughed all the way through, and some have just now been furloughed and still one other has been furloughed and has been re-employed. Four of the members of the family have been working at their place of employment all the way through the lockdown, and, as key workers, we are very proud of them. The second youngest member of the family has been separated from her Dad all through the furlough, and this photo shows the first time they have seen one another in the flesh in three months. One member of the family started his job during lockdown and is doing his training online - all new ways of working.

I think the experience of being separated from the family makes us all think about what it must be to like to be a refugee who has been separated from their family over the many thousands of miles - and those people have no idea when and if they will ever meet up with their family again. This forced separation makes us realise how very difficult it is to not be with our loved ones, and may increase our empathy for people who have escaped they home countries in order to make themselves safe….and makes us realise that it the most difficult thing in the world to be separated from our family and support systems and that no-one would make the treacherous journey away from our homeland without it being the last resort. It is not a free choice to leave. It is a necessity in most cases, and this should be remembered by everyone during this time and not forgotten when we are lucky enough to be able to be reunited in a safe way.

The world in existence
Dear Covid 19
How I feel
You came into the world in peace in 2019 but in 2020 the world know about your existence and in 20th March due to your existence my school told my Mum to tell I and my sister to stay at home.

I ask my Mum who you are and she said you are germs. Covid 19 your existence is killing people in the world and you don’t care who you kill big/small, rich/poor. Your existence has put the world into lockdown, I can’t go to school to see Mrs Shearn and all my teachers, my friends, I can’t even go to church, not even animal park, Macdonalds. Your existence makes me stay at home to keep safe.

POSITIVE THINGS I FEEL
Covid 19 your existence has made me learn to love and cherish my family more while staying at home. I and my sister play together, pretend to be Topsy and Kerry. My Mum gives us activities to do to make us feel we are in school. We learn more bible verses. Your existence has made me achieve all this. Your existence makes my teacher call me on the phone and I meet new friends online with the help of Light up Bahc Initiative which gets me busy. Covid 19 your existence is just for a moment but I know someone who has been in existence before you and is still in existence forever and His name is “THE WORD”.- Children of Light Up BAHC

This is Where I Want to Be by Sonny Bunce

Waking up the tip taping of the little feet on the roof and harmonies of the trees residents chirping their sweet song penetrating the air.

Jumping into the icy water of the plunge pool and climbing up the frost ridden stream shivering in are wet-suits


The blue bells carpeted the lush grass creating spirals of royal blue across the elevated land scape


As I lay there soaking up the sights of the horizon a blurry line of aquamarine danced across the water


The sound of waves crashing eased my muscles and made me relax as I lay listening


Shafts of light shot through the waves projecting shapes on to the shoreline


The salty haze of the crashed waves blew over me sparking nostalgia

Being at one with the sound of ocean dragging stones up the cobbled path that is the waters edge

As the radiating sun beamed down on me I rejoiced at the sight of family and friends


The vanilla like shrubs bobbed up and down their fragrance blew across the carpet of sand spreading its creamy perfume across the desolate beach


We gazed in ore at the pearly sun set making golden waves with its shimmering light,


this is where I want to be.

A mazing
F abulous
I ndependent
F antastic
A wesome
H appy

-Afifah

Our world is such a wondrous place

There’s lots of things to see and do

The Parthenon, The Pyramids and

Edinburgh Zoo!!

With wander lust we pack our case

And head off round the earth

On land and sea and air we go

Far from our land of birth

Yet when we’ve done and had our fill

Of Paris, Spain and Rome

We’re lucky we can travel back

To that special place we call

HOME- Judith

Hind and the Jafa Cakes, a group of musicians who all met at St Augustines during the course of the last year. Currently, we are a mix of Iranian, Kurdish, Lebanese and British musicians, professional but some amateur, and before lockdown, we were playing at various venues and events - Borough market , St Augustines, the Minster, Elland Cricket club, Northern Broadsides, and helped to raise a lot of money for charity.

But for Lockdown and the virus, we would have been playing at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club as part of the Hebden Bridge international folk and roots festival. Alas.

Anyway, we have sought to console ourselves by playing with each other over zoom, and in the garden socially distancing.

The musicians are: Amir Beymanesh, professional classical singer from Iran; Hossein Sajedi, Accountant and pop singer  from Iran; Saman, a Kurd from Iran, a Tar and Setar player; Nikki Clarke, a British Human Rights advisor and  Soul Singer;  Hind Merhi from the Lebanon, chef extraordinaire and great singer of Arabic songs, and Andrew Jones, Trustee of St Augustines and virtuosic Flamenco player.

A practise video recorded shortly before lockdown by Hind and the Jafa cakes. It is an Arabic song about the moon and love!

Another song sung by Amir from Iran, this time singing in Turkish to a backing track (in these days of lockdown) arranged by Andrew, a band member of Hind and the Jafa cakes and also a Trustee of St Augustines.

It is originally an Azerbaijan song in a region where they speak Turkish.

A translation follows provided by Toby, not that he is vouching for its accuracy!!

I have watered the streets

Yar gələndə toz olmasın.

So that not to be dust there when my lover comes

Elə gəlsin, elə getsin,

Let her come and go Aramızda söz olmasın. So that not to be trouble between us

Samavara od salmışam,

I have fired up for samovar (former water boiler)

İstəkana qənd salmışam.

I have put sugar into the cup

Yarım gedib, tək qalmışam,

My lover has gone, i have been alone

Nə əzizdir yarın canı.

How glorious my lover is

Nə şirindir yarın canı.

How sweet my lover is

Dear Covid 19

19 reasons why you must go. Maybe 19 more why you must wait.

No school, no playground, no cuddles and no more birthday parties.

More time with Mum and Dad and sisters. More time keeping healthy, nice and clean.

19 reasons why you must go maybe 19 more why you may wait.-BAHC Children’s group