25 years of RMC
In December 2024, RMC marked its 25th year with a celebration event. Since 1999, the organisation has been supporting new arrivals and has grown from a small team of volunteers, to what it is today.
In 1999 a small, dedicated group of volunteers wanted to improve the lives of refugees coming to this country to seek asylum. 25 years later, RMC has a team of over 180 that welcomes hundreds of people through the doors each week, across Birmingham and the Blackcountry.
Martin Cartwright: Chair of Trustee Board
"RMC’s great strength is its people and it has provided hundreds of volunteering opportunities for local people. Many of RMC’s staff were previously clients and volunteers and are now giving 'advice through experience' to their clients in turn."
The history of RMC
Below you can see an overview of everything that brought RMC to become what is is today
Watch the journey of RMC
Hear from some of the RMC team of what makes them proud
Marking the occasion
On the 4th December, RMC held a celebration event to mark the 25th anniversary. With a mixture of current and former staff, volunteers, partner organisations and supporters, we gathered at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton.
After a drinks reception, we headed up to the incredible event space to hear from some key people throughout RMC’s journey and present some awards, before we wrapped up the formalities with a dinner, drinks and a celebration party!
A huge thank you to those that supported and sponsored the event, especially to our long term partners at Wolves FC who provided us with such an amazing venue!
What have we learned?
Over the last 25 years RMC has developed, grown and evolved. Our core values and ideals still remain. However, it has been vital for us to learn and transform in order to meet an ever-changing world. Looking back, we started by supporting a handful of people in one location and now we are able to assist nearly 600 people per week across four localities in the West Midlands. Here are a few of our key learnings and changes:
 Building the foundations of a strong organisation
Wanting to make a difference is a great thing. But as an organisation grows, it became vital to grow our structure, our team and professionalise the way we worked.
Building departments and support teams alongside our core advice team enabled us to run as an organisation while still delivering that vital help that we started with.Â
Initially, it felt like we were taking money away from the front line, but those decisions have kept the doors open, taken pressure of that team and in the long-term, actually helped more people.Â
 Working together
Every sector is tough. There is competition, there are contracts, there is uncertainty.Â
In the Charity sector, the uncertainty is even bigger. However, collaboration can lead to so many opportunities.Â
From shared bids to shared learning. We all strive to do the best for those we support and the more we work together the more we achieve.Â
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Understand what it is you offer and see where there is overlap with others where you can both benefit and support each other.
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Meeting the needs
Over the years, RMC has transformed from a general advice service into a holistic provider with expertise across complex immigration, health, employment, and resettlement.Â
Adapting to clients’ evolving needs, we’ve expanded services to address issues like the cost of living, energy advice, and global crises.Â
Our flexibility and commitment to upskilling have strengthened our ability to influence policy, respond to crises, and support migrants comprehensively, reflecting our agility in a changing social and political climate.
What next?
RMC has flourished over the years thanks to an amazing Board of Trustees, volunteers and staff who have made things happen. We pride ourselves in putting our clients first and providing a holistic quality service for them.
RMC’s success has not been without challenge and its future depends on its ability to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve, changes in policies, funding, and public attitudes. We need to continue to play a crucial role and it’s vital we remain vigilant in pursuit of our mission and values.
Diversifying our funding sources remains vital in ensuring our continued sustainability and improved readiness for crisis situations, while working toward long-term solutions to root causes of migration. Despite challenges like rising anti-migrant sentiment, RMC has the opportunity to build on our collaboration with our stakeholders and partners and create more effective, holistic solutions for all of our service users.
We will continue to provide a broad remit service to the most vulnerable in our community. We are looking forward to continuing with the success – happy 25th anniversary to RMC!
RMC’s Senior Leadership Team
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