Fundraising
Asylum Welcome could not exist without our fantastic supporters. We rely on donations from our community in order to keep providing life-changing support to refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants. Asylum Welcome supports engaging and innovative events which tell people about the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees and raise funds for our charity. There are so many different ways to get involved.
We are truly grateful to all of our wonderful fundraisers!
Challenge Events
Raise money to support local refugees by signing up for a fun challenge event and collecting sponsorship from friends and family. Challenge events are an excellent way to raise funds. You can register with one of the many events that are already happening, such as the Oxford Half Marathon, the Blenheim 7k, GO TRI Triathlon or Bike Oxford. We sometimes have charity discounted places so do check with us by emailing development@asylum-welcome.org
Or, you can set your own challenge – as Amia and Ellie did below!
If needed, we can help you set up a JustGiving page, provide you with text for your fundraising page, publicise your event, or provide sponsorship forms.
Organise an Event
Hold a clothes sale, a quiz, a bake off or a book sale in your local community. The options are endless and we’d love to hear your ideas! Get in touch with us at
development@asylum-welcome.org and we can support you.
Oxford Lottery
Sign up to the Oxford Lottery and be in with a chance of winning £25,000! Tickets cost just £1 per week and each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance of winning! 50% of the cost of your tickets will go to Asylum Welcome and a further 10% will go to other good causes in Oxford City. You can buy your tickets here: https://www.oxfordlottery.org/support/asylum-welcome Good luck!
Easy Fundraising
Did you know that you could be raising FREE donations for Asylum Welcome when you buy things online?
Over 6,000 online shops and websites such as John Lewis, Argos, Hotels.com, Just Eat and Ebay will give a free donation to us when you shop via easyfundraising. Plus, if you sign up and raise your first £5 in donations, our friends at easyfundraising will give us an additional £5 bonus.
To help us make a real difference, follow the 3 simple steps:
1. Click here and join for free.
2. Click ‘support this cause’ and create an account
3. Choose from over 6,000 retailers to do your online shopping as normal and we will receive a free donation with every purchase you make, at no extra cost to you or us!
Payroll Giving
Payroll Giving is a flexible scheme which allows anyone who pays UK income tax to give regularly and on a tax-free basis to the charities and good causes of their choice. Payroll Giving donations are deducted before tax so each £1 that you give will only cost you 80p; and, if you’re a higher rate tax payer, it will only cost you 60p.
It’s cheaper because it’s tax free – for example, a donation of £5 per month costs the basic rate tax payer £4.
Find out more at payrollgiving.co.uk
Fundraiser profiles
Amia and Ellie Guha
Amia and Ellie, sisters and high school students, took on the challenge of running the distance from London to Paris to raise much-needed funds for Asylum Welcome.
The girls chose to raise money for our work with young refugees and asylum seekers. These young clients have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic – many have faced homelessness and hardship, with their legal status uncertain.
Amia and Ellie said “We are two sisters (15 and 17 years old) running to support young asylum seekers and refugees to achieve their aspirations. We are young students too and we want to support Asylum Welcome’s clients. We are all one Oxfordshire community!”
The girls have raised over £1,000 through their incredible fundraising campaign. Amia also raised funds for Asylum Welcome at the start of the pandemic, raising over £700!
You can still support their campaign here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Amia-Ellie-Guha
Tom de Freston
Local artist Tom de Freston sold his artwork during lockdown and raised an amazing £450.
Tom said “I decided to raise money for Asylum Welcome because the support they provide asylum seekers and refugees in Oxford is invaluable. Sadly, such support is more necessary now than ever. I hope the money raised can make Oxford that bit more of a welcome home.”
Anne-Marie Dupré
Anne-Marie Dupré, a keen crocheter, made a crochet bunny during the COVID-19 lockdown, sharing the bunny’s lockdown adventures on Facebook to entertain her niece and friends. ‘Lapinette Coquette’ (‘Trendy Bunny’) had many lockdown adventures including painting on an easel, playing with Lego, having a BBQ, and even performing Puccini’s opera ‘La Traviata.’ As Lapinette’s adventures progressed, Anne-Marie decided to turn the project into a fundraising campaign to raise money for Asylum Welcome and UNHCR. The campaign was picked up by the local press.
Anne-Marie worked for Oxfam for 14 years and is very aware of how hard the pandemic has been for refugees and asylum seekers who anyway face immense challenges in their lives. She has raised an incredible £1,000 to support refugees. She also now plans to turn ‘The Lockdown Diaries of Lapinette’ into a children’s story book!
You can still support Anne-Marie via this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/am-s-2-6-challenge2020
North Wall Charity Gala
In January 2020, Shena Guild, Asylum Welcome’s Ambassador, co-organised our sell-out Gala Evening at the North Wall Arts Centre, with the critic and journalist Will Gompertz as compère. The evening featured music, comedy, refugee poetry and authentic Syrian cuisine made by our client – a Syrian chef, Alaa. The event was also made possible due to the generous support of Tap Social and the Oxford Wine Company. This incredible evening raised over £4,500 for Asylum Welcome.
Dai Richards – Photo exhibition with live music
Dai, retired documentary film-maker and a long-standing volunteer at Asylum Welcome, held a photo exhibition in aid of Asylum Welcome – raising a whopping £8,500!
Dai said: “Asylum Welcome is a great organisation with a small pocket… We really do help people – people who have suffered trauma and loss, who usually reach Britain speaking little English, and to whom British ways are a mystery. I am constantly impressed by how determined refugees and asylum seekers are to stand on their own feet, to pay their own way, and to give back. Asylum Welcome helps them to rebuild their lives; it makes a real difference.”