We are delighted to let you know that, following the success of the Echoes of Blossom exhibition, we are supporting two more refugee artists, Ghazal and Shervin who are exhibiting at Trestle Arts Base.  Their exhibition is called Patterns of Nature and you can read more about it here:  ​https://www.trestle.org.uk/whats-on/2025/4/10/patterns-of-nature-an-exhibition-by-young-artists-from-iran

​Can you spare two hours a week to help refugees at a Refugee Council Community Hub?
We would love to hear from you - do contact [email protected]
​For full details see below:

We are pleased to let you know that we have a new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@HertsWelcomesRefugees

We will add to these but have two playlists with media appearances and some videos featuring our wonderful volunteers which we will add to over time.

​Do subscribe and check these out!

The exhibition is on until Monday 7 April.  Do get along to Trestle Arts Base to see the beautiful art work by Enas and Bahar.  The paintings are also for sale!
See www.trestle.org.uk/whats-on/2025/1/7/echoes-of-blossom-an-exhibition-by-young-artists-from-syria-and-iran for more information.

We have been lobbying our 12 MPs in Hertfordshire and asking them to sign up to the Fair Begins Here Parliamentary Promise, for a fair asylum system.

We are pleased that St Albans MP Daisy Cooper has signed up and many other MPs are sympathetic and interested in our work within their constituencies.

We are dismayed that the Government plans to introduce guidance to deny citizenship to those granted refugee status if they have come via irregular routes, when we know there is a lack of safe routes to seek sanctuary here.

You can use the template letter to write to your MP calling for this to be overturned, see https://help.care4calais.org/page/165948/action/1 

We are also one of 148 signatories to a letter to the Home Secretary put together by the Refugee Council which has been widely reported: 
​
Small boats: Union and bishops criticise refugee citizenship ban - BBC News
Starmer union ally joins opposition to rules barring citizenship for small boat refugees | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian

As the letter states: "When refugees become citizens, they feel a greater sense of belonging as full members of their communities with a stable future for themselves, their children and generations to come."

We also support this report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees:  https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/cross-party-group-of-parliamentarians-call-for-urgent-action-on-safe-routes-for-refugees/​

This Valentine's Day we are all calling for a fair, humane asylum system that also allows citizenship rights to those who have been granted refugee status, regardless of the route taken to seek sanctuary here.

​We are delighted that St Albans MP Daisy Cooper has signed up to the Together with Refugees' Fair Begins Here Parliamentary Promise.   
​
​You can see Daisy here visiting the Echoes of Blossom exhibition at Trestle Arts Base, with Trestle's Creative Director Helen Barnett, Syrian artist Enas Barakat and our volunteer Helen Singer. 

This month we say goodbye to Ruhena, our Volunteer Coordinator, who is taking up a new role.  With many thanks to Ruhena and wishing her all the best for the future.
Ruhena introduced Table Talk sessions where our volunteers could get together to discuss different topics and meet each other in an informal setting.

We are delighted that our fantastic Administrator Annabel is taking on the Volunteer Coordinator role along with her other work.  ​

We are delighted to introduce Chichi Ezeh, our new Safeguarding Lead. 

​Chichi writes:  “I’m thrilled to volunteer with Herts Welcomes Refugees as Safeguarding Lead. With over a decade of experience in safeguarding, quality assurance, and supporting vulnerable groups, I am passionate about creating safe environments and ensuring best practices are upheld. I look forward to contributing to the important work of HWR and supporting refugees and asylum seekers in our community." 

Welcome Chichi, we are glad to have you with us.

We caught up with Enas who sent this lovely video about herself and her work:

And artist Enas and volunteer Helen were delighted to be interviewed by Elly O'Meara for her MIX Mornings show on MIX FM: ​

In the last few months, our teams have rolled out use of a data collection tool, Monday.com which has been set up to help us record our activities.
The training is now complete and our volunteers regularly fill out a simple template showing what they have done to help refugees and asylum seekers, with activities divided into categories. This can then be represented visually to help us demonstrate our work to our funders and help us strategically decide where to focus our efforts.
To capture the amazing work that is happening every day is very powerful, and we would like to thank all our volunteers and the management team members who have developed the use of Monday.com and run the training.