Today marks the start of Refugee Week – an annual celebration of the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
As the UK’s largest hosting charity, we are privileged to be a small part in the journey of our guests – those who have come to the UK to escape violence, war, and persecution.
Many of them have been forced to leave everything behind; their homes, loved ones, and their livelihoods. They desperately want the chance to start again.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen an ugly resurgence in hatred aimed at those simply looking for sanctuary, culminating in violence and vitriol outside government-provided asylum hotels and on our streets. The picture these protesters paint of those seeking safety and stability doesn’t reflect what we see of our guests, nor does it represent the people in the UK we speak to everyday.
2026 signifies our 10th year as a charity. What started out as a group of friends organising around a kitchen table has grown into what we are today. In that time, we’ve seen thousands of volunteers sign up to open their homes to refugees. To date, they’ve helped nearly 8,000 people find their feet – with many going on to find work, complete their education, and start families.
As the environment in the UK becomes more hostile, many people are looking for ways they can take direct action to challenge what we see in the news and show that the UK can be a fundamentally decent and welcoming place.
We know that not everyone is able to host, and there is no shortage of wonderful organisations and grassroots initiatives providing all sorts of ways to extend a warm welcome to those who need it the most. From drop-in centres, befriending programmes, and community groups, people from all walks of life – many of whom you may know – are quietly doing their part to demonstrate the best of British values.
Years of scapegoating and demonising are bound to influence people, and even our hosts aren’t immune. One of our most prolific supporters, who has hosted more than 20 of our guests, first heard about us when he found out a friend was welcoming a Syrian refugee into her home. Concerned for their safety, he took her to lunch to try and talk her out of it. In the end, his friend convinced him to host, and since then he’s never looked back.
Opening your heart and your home to people breaks down barriers, challenges misconceptions, and more importantly, brings a bit of light into the lives of those who need it the most. As Muhammad, a refugee from Iran who stayed with some of our volunteers, told us: “My hosts were a wonderful family, very kind, and we have become best friends. They made me realise there is still good in this world.”
Like Muhammad, we’ve seen the good in this world, and it’s more common than you’d think.
Carly Whyborn is Chief Operating Officer and interim Chief Executive Officer at Refugees at Home
