As more people are forced to flee their homelands across the world, groups like Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity (DRS) have begun forming in the Derby city area to support the rising number of Asylum Seekers. 

Barred from working for a year after they arrive and without access to mainstream educational services, Asylum Seekers are left feeling without purpose and community. To combat this, DRS provide a space for them to learn, socialise and are a crucial first step for integrating into British society. 

The group was formed in 2015 inspired by the harrowing images of Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, washed up on the beach in Greece that covered the front pages of national newspapers at the time. Initially beginning with donations to refugees in Calais, the group has built up over the years to become a community centre that provides english lessons, music classes and sport to 120 asylum seekers from their home at St Anne’s Church each week. 
Since 2017, DRS has created a community garden in the church grounds and have opened their own plot on Rowditch Allotment. This has been another important space for the asylum seekers to use. 

“It started when someone offered me the chance for an allotment plot free of charge,” founding member Steve Cooke recalled, “I took the offer as I knew growing things would be a good activity as it helps relive the pressures that many asylum seekers face. Every one of them has some sort of trauma or PTSD from their journey here.
“It’s been proven so many times the benefits being in nature can bring. People calm down and relax, so for a couple of hours they (asylum seekers) don’t think about the stress and that’s why we started it.” 

Activities of any kind are so important to Asylum Seekers as they often find themselves disenfranchised from society when they arrive.

 
“In Derby and the surrounding areas, we have 1,500 asylum seekers living in temporary hotels,” Steve said, “these people have nothing to do. They are not allowed to work for at least a year and if their claim is not completed, they are given a limited list of jobs. So, they are left to sit in their hotels or walk around on the streets.”

DRS and their allotment provide that positive outlet and has allowed for Asylum Seekers to use skills they had from back home. 

“One of the first people we had from Iran three years ago, Omid, was a shepherd. One of our current group, Arslam from Iraq used to be a farmer and when he gets his right to remain he would like to get into doing that. Both of them loved the allotment and having their skills has been fantastic,” Steve said.

Despite these successes, the group are aware of the challenges their sector Is facing to support asylum seekers. Slow and complicated asylum claim processes have exacerbated the need for assistance from volunteer led groups like DRS. 

The housing of refugees in hotels have also prompted far right demonstrations at local hotels in Derbyshire and to those people with negative opinions on asylum seekers, Steve had this to say: 
“Come and meet them, because when you look and see their pain, you will change your view. I have seen it happen first hand, you’ll realise they are just humans like us. My mother is 95, she was born in Derby. At 11 years old she became an asylum seeker due to the bombs from the war. So, we have to realise, this could happen to any of us.”