We have published a number of testimonies below from people seeking asylum who are living locally and who have been supported within the Horsforth community.

In addition, we have detailed below some back ground information on the asylum system and activities that have been taking place locally. We would like to raise awareness as to the issues that people seeking asylum face and find ways in which the local community can make people welcome.

When people arrive in the UK and claim asylum, their details are processed close to the port of entry and in many cases, people are then moved to what the government calls “dispersal areas”, typically in the north of England and Scotland. Someone seeking asylum is not legally allowed to work until they receive their “leave to remain” status, at which point they are classified as a refugee and can then start to apply for jobs.

Initially people are placed in asylum accommodation which will typically be a shared house or a hotel. To start with people do not receive any financial assistance but after a period a weekly allowance of around £9.50 is paid to people staying in hotels. Although the government does provide free English classes, called ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), this is not until someone has been in the UK for six months. As such, people living in the hotels have little resources or access to education.

Horsforth Town of Sanctuary is a local charity which helps people when they first arrive in the UK with clothing, basic English, SIM cards and phones (as some people have lost phones on the dangerous sea crossings), contact with other agencies / third sector organisations which provide support and very importantly, the chance to meet local people at events and volunteering experiences.

Many asylum seekers are keen to participate in local volunteering work, which provides a chance to meet new people, practice English and is a welcome distraction to a rather mundane existence in a hotel. Over the last two years, organisations, churches and community groups in Horsforth have provided a wide range of activities which people seeking asylum have ben involved in such as: the summer gala; carols in the park; helping with local environmental projects in parks, gardens and local woods; undertaking voluntary work for homeless charities and local Oxfam / charity shops; cooking for community events and the like. The overwhelming feedback from the volunteers is that they are keen to give something back to the UK and really appreciate the welcome they have received from local people. Having come from trouble spots around the world, the chance to be somewhere that feels safe and is supportive for starting a new life really helps people start to heal after the difficult journeys they have been on.

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Testimonies 

The following describes the first-hand experiences of someone who came to the UK to seek asylum, and includes details that some readers may find distressing.

Horsforth Town Council is continuing the process of being recognised as a Council of Sanctuary. This award is given by City of Sanctuary UK, a national charity that aims to foster greater understanding between the public, refugees and people seeking asylum.

When HTC joined City of Sanctuary UK's network of local authorities in May 2024 – which was publicised with an event in Horsforth Matters – we became part of a nationwide movement of councils who share a commitment to welcoming people seeking sanctuary. Horsforth Town Council aims to create a culture of inclusivity and welcome in Horsforth for refugees and people seeking asylum in the town and surrounding area, and we have been working closely with the local Horsforth Town of Sanctuary (HToS) support group to achieve this. The group primarily supports men seeking asylum who are temporarily accommodated in north Leeds as well as asking the men themselves to sit on the steering group, ensuring they play an active part in the running of the group.

Horsforth Town Council is pursuing the process of being recognised as a Council of Sanctuary. This award is given by City of Sanctuary UK, a national charity that aims to foster greater understanding between the public, refugees and people seeking asylum.

At the time we joined the network we had already established regular contact with HToS, with Cllr Fletcher becoming a regular attendee at steering group meetings. Councillors have also attended many events run by HToS, for example the regular socials at St Margaret’s (including the Great Get Together event in February 2025) and monthly football matches in which both people seeking asylum and local residents take part. Cllr Tumalan has also been instrumental in getting some of the men seeking asylum involved in local football clubs. HToS also provides help with the everyday needs of asylum seekers, and to this end Cllr Fletcher has helped with monthly distribution of clothing to new arrivals which is organised by HToS.

The council itself has set out to involve people seeking asylum in council-run events. Sadly the planned participation of asylum seekers in the Christmas lights switch-on did not happen due to that event being scaled down, but a number of men who are either involved with HToS or being helped by the group did attend the VE Day event in May this year.

Additionally Cllr Gillinder, who volunteers regularly in the Community Garden in Hall Park, is hoping to welcome any men who are interested to start volunteering in the garden on a regular basis. The council also has a role to play in spreading awareness of events such as last October’s information session on hosting refugees at home, which was jointly hosted by Leeds City of Sanctuary and HToS and which was advertised on the HTC website. We also aim to work with Horsforth Town Team in identifying training and employment opportunities wherever possible.

Another aspect of achieving Council of Sanctuary status is to publicise the experiences of people seeking asylum and educating both ourselves and the public about the challenges they face. On latter point, Cllrs Gillinder and Fletcher recently attended a free course run by the charity Solace, on the subject of factors impacting the mental well-being of refugees and asylum seekers. It was an interesting and informative course, and hopefully similar sessions will be available in the future. On the point of publicising the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees, HToS is asking some of the men they work with to write down their experiences (if they are happy to do so and anonymously if they wish) which we will then look at publishing on HTC’s website and/or social media.

An Action Plan has been drawn up as a way of monitoring our progress towards the Council of Sanctuary status. At the time of writing we are about to review the Action Plan to see what progress we have made so far, whether the plan needs updating and what our next steps should be. We will continue updating the Communities and Environment group as to our progress.