Day 1

Rhiannon’s story…

Rhiannon’s role within Asylum Welcome is two-fold.

She is Services Support Coordinator, supporting the services that currently comprise the organisation, as well as Huntercombe Project Coordinator, which revolves around the support of foreign national prisoners. Her everyday tasks range from training and resource management to information storage. With an education in music and various jobs in advocacy and support for young carers, Rhiannon joined Asylum Welcome because of her love of working with people, extending help to those who need it most. She feels most fulfilled in her role when she knows that she has made a difference in someone’s life.

She joyfully recounts such an instance during her past year of work. One of her clients, a refugee from Sudan, gentle and genuine in his demeanour, unfortunately found himself in a situation that resulted in him ending up in prison. During the time that he spent incarcerated, his wife and young daughter arrived in the UK also seeking asylum. With the support of Rhiannon and her team, the man was eventually released. Rhiannon describes the moment he stepped out of the prison gates, knowing he would be reunited with his family, as one of the most joyful of her work. At the point of his release, the man had not seen his family for over two years.

Rhiannon’s drive and passion for her role is demonstrated by the long-term vision that she has regarding her team. She believes that word-of-mouth is what counts most in this type of work, when positive results for one client translate into more clients reaching out to the charity. In order to widen and deepen Asylum Welcome’s current work, she envisions more cooperation and connection with other organisations, with the ultimate mission of supporting more and more marginalised people. She hopes that in the coming year she will have the opportunity to advocate for more clients, and to continue resisting oppressive systems through kindness and presence.

To be continued…

In 2021/22, Asylum Welcome supported 60% more clients than the year before with a wider range of services and a bigger budget than at any time in our history. We couldn’t do it without you. 🧡

As the national environment gets ever tougher for many of our clients and others like them, fleeing violence and persecution in so many countries, it is ever more important that we continue and extend our work.

If you can, please support our appeal today. Thank you for being part of the story.