It must be about fifteen years since we first got involved with asylum seekers and refugees in Bolton. We ‘adopted’ two asylum seekers from Africa and did our best to help them feel welcome in the town, and invited them to our social events. As the daughter of one of members our told us, we found that they were truly ‘people like us’; for the best part of ten years we learnt a lot about their difficulties and came to have great admiration for them. It was a great relief to us all that eventually they got ‘leave to remain’, and we were able to enrol them as members of our Club.
Our two African members soon brought a third member making her life in Britain; she and her husband now have a daughter, and we keep in touch with the family as time moves on.
We lost touch before Covid with the local refugees groups so were delighted to welcome to our September Meeting leaders of the Destitution Project. They are still trying to make refugees find a new life, and we hope we will not lose track of them again.