Let Gwendolyn Roomes Stay In Britain!

ONE of Sheffield’s best-known characters is today in detention facing deportation. Gwendolyn Roomes – who is renowned for singing hymns on Fargate in Sheffield city centre – is being held as she faces extradition back to Jamaica.The move has left her family outraged as they say Gwen, aged 59, only came here because she was invited by the government. But her visa has expired and repeated applications to stay have been rejected. She is now awaiting a decision on her latest application.“In 2005 there was a mix- up with her application for a visa extension. The Home Office sent her the wrong application form, which she filled in. By the time the mistake was spotted she was out of time. Since then she has done everything by the book. “She has passed her British citizenship test in 2009 and applied for leave to stay on numerous occasions and has spent more than £4,000 in fees and legal costs. She has done everything the right way, but each time her application has been rejected. We have been warned that if she is turned down this time, she could be put on a plane for Jamaica. “I am angry and worried. I don’t know what the Home Office people are looking for; she is a kind, caring woman who works hard for the community. She has lived with uncertainty over her right to stay here for seven years, but always puts on a brave face.” Stalwart Christian Gwendolyn arrived in Sheffield to work as a supply teacher as part of the government’s Highly Skilled Migrant Programme at a time of teacher shortages in the UK. She has worked at about 20 Sheffield schools, but has not been allowed to teach since her visa expired and cannot claim benefits. UK Border Agency officers initially took Gwen to a detention centre close to Manchester Airport, but she has since moved to a holding facility in London. She said: “I was told my last application was a few days late and brought here.