London (Parliament News) – Retired newsagent Nelson Shardey, 74, received over £30,000 in crowdfunding for his legal battle to remain in the UK after being denied indefinite leave to stay despite living there for nearly 50 years.
A retired 74-year-old newsagent who has lived in the UK for nearly 50 years expressed “tears were running” from his eyes after strangers fundraised more than £30,000 to sustain his legal fight to remain in the land. Nelson Shardey, who has been depicted as a Merseyside “local legend”, is seeking a legal challenge against the Home Office after he was denied indefinite leave to remain, despite living and performing in the UK since 1977.
How Is Nelson Shardey Fighting to Stay in the UK?
Shardey, who arrived in the UK from Ghana at the age of 28 on a student visa, stated in 2019 that he did not have British citizenship and would have to apply for the 10-year passage to settlement. He was given limited leave to remain in 2019 but this was later revoked after he made an error in an application in 2022, which has left him without lawful status in the UK and no access to public funds or pension credits.
The 74-year-old stated he was “amazed” and “grateful” after more than £30,000 had been crowdfunded to disburse for his legal challenge, adding: “I was not expecting that so I would like to thank everybody who has donated towards this fight we have taken on. We are fighting for justice and all those who are affected should also have the belief that justice will be done.”
What Is the Legal Challenge Faced by Nelson Shardey?
The legal battle against the Home Office will challenge the department’s conclusion to refuse Shardey indefinite leave to stay and the need for the 10-year probationary period, which would mean he would only be qualified for the status until at least the age of 84.
What Efforts Are Being Made to Help Nelson Shardey?
The fundraiser was set up to sustain his family, who face spending thousands of pounds in fees if they lose their legal challenge.
Since the crowdfunding campaign was formed earlier this week, the family have been flooded with messages of support from friends, colleagues and strangers. Shardey, who was granted the Mersey Marvel award in 2007 after he saved a friend from a masked robber, is well-understood in his local area after he ran his shop, Nelson’s News, for more than 30 years.
One note on the fundraiser read: “Nelson is a credit to the community, full support to the whole family.” Shardey conveyed the messages that had left him with tears “running from my eyes, how some of the people were telling marvellous things”. He added his son, Jacob, “keeps offering me where we have reached and I said: ‘Oh my lord, what an achievement.’”
His son Aaron, 30, revealed he felt “terrified” before the launch of the movement but has been left “overwhelmed”. “The energy was so virulent,” he said. “That energy gave me, Jacob and Dad the strength to carry on.” If Shardey’s legal challenge is victorious, the family said they will donate the money presented to Wirral Foodbank and the Boaz Trust, an immigration charity that sustains asylum seekers who have become homeless.