Asylum Welcome

We’re excited to be involved in this event exploring #Brecht’s ever-relevant writings in exile, newly set to music by Niels Rønsholdt, with Lore Lixenberg, David Constantine & Tom Kuhn.

📍 Mordan Hall, St Hugh’s College
Tues 3rd Feb at 5.30 pm
🎟️ Book now:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exile-for-...

Siham, Daneshgar, and Motaz are just three of the young people we work with. They told ITV News why education is so important for young refugees, to help them settle into Britain, rebuild their lives, and find work. www.itv.com/news/2026-01...

UK’s ‘one in, one out’ scheme has failed to protect torture survivors, says charity Medical Justice report finds Home Office approach has led to ‘near total disregard for identified vulnerabilities’

New reporting shows the “one in, one out” scheme is harming survivors of torture and trafficking while failing to deter crossings. Safeguards in detention are breaking down. This is performative cruelty, not effective policy.

Read the investigation: https://bit.ly/4sKHBZA

Over 20 years, Iran has been the No1 country of origin for asylum seekers in the UK.

Those who campaign to slash the rights of refugees, but today decry the savagery of the Iranian regime, need to have a little think.

There is no safe route to the UK for Iranian asylum seekers.

Free Movement review of 2025 - Free Movement It has become an end-of-year tradition, for good or ill, for me to review what’s been going on in the immigration law world, look ahead and share a little of

From yesterday: Free Movement review of 2025 | Colin Yeo

We are recruiting a Fundraising Officer! - Asylum Welcome We’re looking for a proactive and highly organised Fundraising Officer to join our team and help us raise much-needed income to support our life-changing services for refugees and asylum seekers in Ox...

⏳ Don't miss the chance to apply!

We’re recruiting a Fundraising Officer — a hands-on role with real impact, supporting refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants in Oxfordshire.

Applications close midnight *tomorrow* (Sunday 11th January 2026).

www.asylum-welcome.org/fundraising-...

Fundraising Officer | Asylum Welcome Oxford | CharityJob Apply now for Fundraising Officer. , £28,500 - £32,000 per year, find a career with meaning today

💡 Interested? Know someone who might be?

We’re recruiting a Fundraising Officer to help raise vital income supporting refugees & asylum seekers in Oxford.

⏳ 🕛 Deadline: Sun 11th Jan 2026 (midnight)

Apply now via CharityJob or see more details on our website: www.asylum-welcome.org/fundraising-...

A dark brown square graphic with bold white text at the top reading “Two Emergency Protests Tomorrow.” Below this are two location lines, each with a white map-pin icon: “Campsfield, Langford Lane – 4pm” and “Carfax, Oxford – 6pm.” In the bottom right is the orange circular logo of the Coalition to Close Campsfield, featuring barbed wire across the lower half. In the bottom left is a simple white line-drawing of a megaphone.

As Campsfield detention centre reopens tomorrow in #Oxfordshire, many of us feel heavy-hearted.

But for all who may be detained there, we will keep going — and strengthen our efforts to #CloseCampsfield and #EndDetention.

Join the protests: 4pm Campsfield • 6pm Carfax

#TheseWallsMustFall

Protesters. Sign saying 'we point towards justice'

A former detainee of Campsfield said: “While I was at Campsfield I saw many people struggle to cope with depression and a system designed to break people down. You are treated as if you are a risk to society when all you are trying to do is reach safety and build a life.”

A person’s hand on the handle of a green front door as it is opened.

Two people sit smiling at a table, sharing a relaxed moment, with plates of muffins and doughnuts in the foreground.

Our Winter Appeal launches today. Every donation is DOUBLED through match funding, helping people at risk of homelessness in Oxford find a place to stay.

Please give what you can to help refugees in Oxfordshire find safety. Kindness really does open doors. Thank you.
www.asylum-welcome.org/winter/

Protesters oppose immigration removal centre reopening Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre is due to reopen later this year, after closing in 2018

📣At the protest this weekend:
"The people of Oxfordshire have made their voices clear, and will continue to do so, that refugees are welcome here. This is meant to be a city of sanctuary. Campsfield is the opposite of sanctuary." @asylumwelcome.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Art Auction for Asylum Welcome — Magdalen Road Studios Art Auction for Asylum Welcome Magdalen Road Studios 6-8PM Bid for an original art work and help support Asylum Welcome. Wine kindly donated by Art of Wine

Looking for some good vibes?

Join us **tonight** (Thursday 20th Nov, 6–8 pm) for the Art Auction at 74 Magdalen Road (OX4 1RE).

Fabulous artwork, soft drinks and wine, and a warm community atmosphere — all in support of people seeking sanctuary. 🎨 🧡

www.magdalenroadstudios.com/calendar/art...

Up to 50,000 nurses could quit UK over immigration plans, survey suggests Exclusive: union leaders say proposed changes are immoral and could threaten patient safety if there is staff exodus

🚨Making it harder for migrants to settle in the UK is yet another act of economic vandalism🚨

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Orange heart

It’s a kind of orange….
@asylumwelcome.bsky.social
Place an orange light in your window during the Oxford Christmas Light Festival (14–16 November) — a simple symbol of welcome, sanctuary, and hope for people seeking safety.

Two smiling Asylum Welcome team members stand beside a long table covered in laptops, each holding one up to the camera to celebrate a donation from Adobe and Revivn.

An Asylum Welcome staff member sits at a round table with rows of donated laptops laid out in front of her, ready to be set up for people new to Oxfordshire as part of the Digital Inclusion project.

Huge thanks to @adobe.com & Revivn for donating 50 laptops to Asylum Welcome’s Digital Inclusion project! 💻

These lightweight devices will help refugees and asylum seekers access education, jobs and connection.

You’ve given technology a second life — and helped people rebuild theirs.

#ThankYou 💛

Asylum Welcome's Emergency Hardship Fund appeal Please stand with us today by donating to our Hardship Fund. Your contribution ensures that vulnerable refugees have access to vital essentials, and helps prevent people from sleeping rough over the u...

Everyone deserves warmth & dignity.

This winter, refugees in Oxfordshire face hunger & homelessness as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

Your kindness can help:
£20 = welcome pack
£50 = school essentials
£100 = safe sleep
£250 = food & support

💜 tinyurl.com/hardship-appeal

Thank you so much!

To support the National Day of Solidarity to End Immigration Detention 18 Oct, Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed are running an event with a panel discussion & more. #Oxford #MigrationIsLife #NoOneIsIllegal #TheseWallsMustFall @asylumwelcome.bsky.social righttoremain.org.uk/local-action...

Asylum Welcome is running the Oxford Half Marathon in memory of James Throup This October, Asylum Welcome is putting forward our own team to run the Oxford Half Marathon. Our team is as diverse as our organisation – comprising a Sanctuary Hosting guest, a service coordinator...

Best of luck to everyone taking part in the #OxfordHalf today — especially #TeamAsylumWelcome 🎽 — running in memory of our much-missed volunteer James Throup.

Every penny raised helps refugees and asylum seekers rebuild their lives in Oxfordshire. 🏃‍♀️🧡🏃‍♂️

Donate here 👇
tinyurl.com/oxford-half-marathon

One week to go until the Oxford Half Marathon! 🏃 🧡

Our Asylum Welcome runners are over halfway to their target — every mile they run helps fund help, advice and hope for people starting again in safety.

Please support them if you can:
justgiving.com/campaign/asy...

Thank you!

he Sanctuary Hosting panel at Asylum Welcome’s AGM. Six panellists sit at the front of the room, including Tania Baldwin-Pask speaking into a microphone on the far right. An Asylum Welcome banner is displayed on the left, while the audience listens attentively.

Display panels from the Sanctuary Hosting exhibition, unveiled at Asylum Welcome’s AGM. The boards include information about the service since 2015, testimonies from hosts and guests under the heading “Voices of Sanctuary,” and a section on challenges and hopes for the next 10 years.

Hari, Joint CEO of Asylum Welcome, stands on the left speaking into a microphone and gesturing with her hand. Sarah, Joint CEO, stands on the right smiling and holding notes. Both are addressing the AGM audience, with heads of attendees visible in the foreground.

At Asylum Welcome’s AGM, compere Ghani stands on the left holding a microphone for Michael, a former client, who is reading from his notes. An Asylum Welcome banner and a projected presentation slide are visible behind them, while the audience watches from the foreground.

Last week, our AGM & Supporters’ Meeting brought together voices from across Asylum Welcome — and marked 10 years of Sanctuary Hosting.

More than 40,000 nights of shelter, 300 guests supported, and a new exhibition unveiled to celebrate this milestone.

Read more: www.asylum-welcome.org/agm-2025/

👪 We're live at the Old Schoolhouse Community Day (Hertford Street, off Magdalen Road).

👋 Drop by our stall to say hello, pick up a copy of our latest Annual Review, and see if you can beat our fiendishly metaphorical Hostile Environment Challenge...

'Don’t think your boys, far away as they are, ever forget' A story of migration

To mark ten years of Sanctuary Hosting, I wrote about migration. With thanks to @asylumwelcome.bsky.social for the fact checker.
open.substack.com/pub/writingf...

The logo for Sanctuary Hosting at Asylum Welcome. It shows a tree growing from a blue doorway shape. Inside the doorway is a white key design that forms the shape of a heart. The text reads “Sanctuary Hosting” in blue and pink, with “at Asylum Welcome” underneath in smaller light blue letters.

Three women sit at a table with food and drinks, talking during a community event with bunting in the background.

An older woman and a younger woman wearing a headscarf sit together at a kitchen table, with books and papers spread out in front of them.

Four women smiling at a Sanctuary Hosting event, with musicians performing in the background.

This Sept, we're celebrating 10 years of Sanctuary Hosting!
www.asylum-welcome.org/services/san...

300 guests helped, 40,000 nights of safe sleep & countless acts of kindness - thanks to our wonderful hosts 💙

🎧 Listen to the story on our podcast #Welcomecast:
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

🏃‍♂️ Every step counts. Every gift helps.

Sultan and the @asylumwelcome.bsky.social team are running 13.1 miles at the #OxfordHalf to support refugees in Oxfordshire as they rebuild their lives.

If you can, please back them today with a donation:
tinyurl.com/oxford-half-marathon

Thank you. 🧡

More than 2,000 sign open letter for 'compassion' after Nigel Farage visit More than 2,000 people signed a letter calling for 'unity and compassion' in Oxfordshire after an increase of hostility towards migrants and asylum…

Thank you #ThisisOxfordshire for highlighting our open letter calling for Compassion and Unity in Oxford - www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/2542642...

Mandatory digital IDs considered to crack down on illegal immigration Sir Keir Starmer has accelerated a range of views of technology that could prove whether job applicants are in the country legally

'...my concerns with these are the safety of separated children if they can't make applications to join family members'.

@catbriddick.bsky.social was quoted in @thetimes.com on the UK government's decision this week to halt the family reunion route for refugees:

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

As Yvette Cooper pushes forward new laws to make it harder for child refugees to get safe passage to join their parents in the UK, here's a picture of her from 2020 campaigning for the complete opposite.

"We sat in stunned silence… wondering: what will this mean for the people we support now & those who will need us in future?" — Dr Hari Reed, our Co-CEO.

For many refugees, reunion is the only hope they have left. Suspending that right puts women & children at risk, @yvettecooper-mp.bsky.social.

Oxfordshire is a County of Sanctuary and we are rightly proud to support and stand up for refugees, people seeking asylum and anyone in the UK in need of support. Amazing work by @asylumwelcome.bsky.social to put together this letter!

A call for Unity and Compassion in Oxfordshire (and beyond)

Today, Nigel Farage used Oxfordshire to launch plans for “mass deportations” of people seeking asylum if he becomes Prime Minister.

We believe in a different vision: one rooted in dignity, safety, and welcome. Please add your name to our open letter: tinyurl.com/aw-letter