Celebrating the contributions of refugees and calling for change 

Date Published: 17 Jun 2025
Woman in black jacket and jeans with shoulder length blond hair walking along a path in park. She can only be seen from behind. There is grass on either side of the path and a tree in the foreground which has shed lots of its autumn orange leaves

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This Refugee Week, Annabeth who leads our work influencing policy and advocating for people experiencing poverty, reflects on our vision for a society where all people are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive…

 

It’s Refugee Week and we’re celebrating the amazing contributions people seeking sanctuary bring to our communities.

In our charity, across all of our services, we see every day the power of positive integration, where people are not just welcomed, but also offered meaningful opportunities to connect, contribute and belong. 

Juliana’s story is a great example of this. When she arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker, her background meant she had so much to offer to society, but she was met with numerous barriers, as people seeking safety experience every day. She was faced with uncertainty about her future, forced to navigate a complex legal system, and was not allowed to work whilst waiting for a decision on her claim.

However, she reached out and signed up as a volunteer at our Lalley centre community pantry and allotment. Once we were able to navigate some of the additional, lengthy and complex safer recruitment checks in place for people from overseas, we were able to progress with her application to ensure she could begin volunteering safely. 

She became one of our most dedicated volunteers, contributing so much to our work, as well as learning new skills to take forward with her and improving her English.  

Juliana was later granted refugee status in the UK, which also gave her the right to work. We supported her with updating her CV and provided references of her volunteering. She was successful in finding employment, and has gone on to contribute to our community in new ways. She even comes back to help out at events when she can, such as our Christmas fair. 

Her story clearly highlights the importance of positive integration, where people seeking sanctuary are valued for who they are and empowered to actively participate in society. 

Unfortunately, the current system makes it incredibly challenging for people seeking safety in this country to thrive, belong and contribute to their communities, and this needs to change.  

We are calling for reforms including: 

  • The right to work for people seeking asylum after six months. 
  • Increased funding for high quality classes for English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL), and free access for all. 
  • Access to NHS services, and an end to upfront charging for secondary care. 
  • An end to the use of hotels as accommodation for people seeking asylum. 

We know that when people are supported and given meaningful opportunities, they flourish, and they enrich communities so that those around them can gain and learn so much too.  

Join us in celebrating the contributions of people seeking safety, and help us call for change.

 

To find out more about our work with people locally and how you can help support refugees and people seeking safety in your community, visit: www.caritassalford.org.uk/refugees 

To find out more about our policy and advocacy work and ways you can get involved, visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/about/policy-and-advocacy/

 


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