A range of events and activities will be held across Herefordshire to mark Refugee Week (16-22 June).
The aim is to build understanding of the challenges faced by refugees when seeking safety and to celebrate their positive contribution to our county.
Herefordshire has a proud history of welcoming refugees, with compassion shown by local communities to those in need. Most recently this includes people from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Syria and Ukraine.
One Afghan family supported by the council’s Refugee Resettlement team said:
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the warm and heartfelt welcome we received from Herefordshire Council. Their kindness and respectful treatment towards us have been genuinely admirable.
A Ukrainian family receiving support commented:
My family and I came to the UK almost three years ago, fleeing from the terrible war in Ukraine. We left everything and went into the unknown, worried and not imagining what was waiting for us ahead. However, from the first days after arriving in the UK, we received support, help and care from our sponsor, from many caring people and from Herefordshire Council.
The theme for this year is ‘Community as a Superpower’ and it will focus on how simple acts of kindness can help to build connections and communities.
Specific events and activities and events on offer are:
The Courtyard, Hereford
Saturday 14 – Saturday 21 June,
- During opening hours
- A collection of cultural artefacts, maps and photographs from refugee groups in Herefordshire.
The Grange, Leominster
Saturday 14 June,
- 10am-3pm
- Leominster Festival Family Fun Day Come along and enjoy international food, live music, arts and crafts, local vendors, face painting and more. While you’re there, visit the display of information about refugees in Herefordshire and take part in interactive activities to map people’s origins and listen to what ‘community’ means to them.
St Peter’s Church, Hereford
Monday 16 June
- from 12 noon
- A themed gathering to celebrate the strength of our community.
Sunday 22 June
- from 10.30 am
- Café church - a relaxed, café-style service with British Sign Language and Ukrainian subtitles, dedicated to Refugee Week and prayers for peace around the world.
Roadshows
all 10am-2pm
- Ledbury Market, Tuesday 17 June
- Hereford Market, Wednesday 18 June and Saturday 21 June
- Ross Market, Thursday 19 June
- Kington Market, Friday 20 June
View the display on information about refugees in Herefordshire and take part in interactive activities to map people’s origins and listen to what ‘community’ means to them.
The Kindle Centre, Hereford
Wednesday 18 June,
- from 5.30 pm
- Free viewing of the film: ‘Afghan girls can kick’, followed by questions and answers to the Director. The film offers a rare and intimate insight into the lives of young Afghan women, showing them as individuals striving for a future and not just passive victims.
Friday 20 June
- 4-6pm
- A celebration of different cultures in Herefordshire. This is a family-friendly event that’s free to attend. Find out more about different customs, foods, clothing, language writing and alphabets.
Walford Village Hall, Ross-on-Wye
Saturday 21 June
- 11am-3pm
- Entry fee of £1 for adults, children go free
- Afghan Family Fete and Cultural Cookery. A mix of arts, crafts, games, kite making, delicious Afghan food, refreshments and live music.
The Market Theatre, Ledbury
A performance of ‘East of the Sun’ by Fetch Theatre
Saturday 21 June
- from 2pm
- Free entry
- Sponsored by the West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership. The performance is a tale without words, told through puppetry and music. Funny, anarchic, moving and beautiful, the story transports audiences as they engage with the puppets and take an emotional journey with them.
Black Mountain Barns, Hereford
Bandura Concert
Sunday 22 June
- 5-6 pm,
- £15 adults, £8 children.
Plus Optional Singing workshop,
- 3-4pm, £10
Performed/led by Galyna Grigoriadi, an exceptionally talented musician, both as a singer and professional player of the Bandura, who came to Hereford with her family to escape the war in Ukraine and now teaches and performs both specialities.
The Bandura is a beautiful instrument, a mixture of a lute and zither, comprising of as many as 68 strings and considered to be the national instrument of Ukraine. (All proceeds will go to children affected by the war in Ukraine)
Cllr Carole Gandy, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, said:
Herefordshire is a friendly and welcoming county. The strength of our communities lies in the people who live there and I welcome this year’s ‘Community as a Superpower’ theme. A smile or warm greeting, a conversation with a stranger, costs us nothing but can go a long way to making someone who is frightened and alone feel welcomed.
Further details about all these events can be found on Herefordshire Council’s website.