Maths consistently comes in the top 2 or 3 non-ESOL specific sessions that members say they would like to access, and after some time sounding out options we are delighted that Rory has now taken the class on. Maths questions can often prove a double obstacle, with not only the maths itself being difficult, but also having to decode deliberately confusing and misleading language meaning that even students who previously studied to high levels still need some support when looking to take their Maths GCSE here in the UK. The class has had a good core of students at a variety of levels, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it develops over the next few months!

Similarly, after a winter of spreading its roots it's almost time for the Bristol City Council funded Intensive ESOL programme to bloom, with classes starting in the next fortnight. The programme will allow predominantly asylum seekers in dispersal accommodation to access 6 hours of structured classes a week, an amount of time that should act as an accelerator for those looking for their next step and wanting to work on their language skills. Classes will run around the city over three terms, with the first covering the wider BS5 area, Bedminster and Lockleaze. We then hope to expand this for the next term in September, so please get in touch with any recommendations or links you may know.

As well as all this new growth, the core Borderlands provision continues to go from strength to strength, with a consistent group of students attending over the past few months and getting rave reviews from their teachers. Classes have covered a diverse range of topics as ever, with a highlight being a trip into the city to register at the library and see the museum (as well as ordering at the café in English). We have had two teaching workshops, discussing new resources we can use in our classrooms, and it has been great watching our volunteers from very different backgrounds share strengths and challenges together to make sure our lessons are as successful as possible.

The Outreach Project has had another busy few months, with numerous constant challenges for the community of people claiming asylum in Bristol. Despite this, with the trips that have been running and the incredible community of volunteers, members and partners that Borderlands is blessed with we are feeling hopeful this spring. Special thanks to our amazing Outreach volunteer team, we’re grateful to each one of you.

On volunteering, we have recently been boosted by our first member volunteers! It is a huge asset to have people with experience of the asylum system on our team providing support to hotel residents with such compassion, understanding and positive energy. It is also a step towards realising the vision that we share with the refugee and asylum seeker support sector; those with lived experience working alongside communities in Bristol to welcome people arriving in the city with warmth, respect, inclusion and care. To help us towards this goal, we have also began routinely collecting feedback from everyone that accesses our services to ensure we deliver effective, fair and useful support.

As well as our regular weekly drop-ins in the central Bristol hotels, the Outreach project has been running extra drop-ins at community welcome centres. These ‘satellite’ drop-ins have been posted at Aid Box Community and Bristol Hospitality Network and are designed to plug gaps in our sim card provision to make sure asylum seekers are able to stay connected – something that we understand is vital.

In collaboration with Bristol Mind, we are now undertaking ‘Healthcare Navigation’ within hotels and welcome centres across Bristol. Our role is to help people understand and feel confident accessing the UK healthcare system. We’d like to thank the Migrant Health team at University of Bristol’s Student Action for Refugees, who have produced an incredible toolkit, breaking down how and where to access primary and secondary healthcare in Bristol, including GPs, pharmacies, maternity support, emergency care services and more. We are also planning workshops with healthcare experts to cover specific topics such as accessing to hospital healthcare as an asylum seeker.

The trips run this spring have been a real highlight. The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) welcomed three groups of hotel residents to special tours of their new ‘Cosmos’ exhibition, an artistic exploration of the universe bringing together many different perspectives and mediums from a collaboration of artists. The trip was great for kids too, with games, costumes and many art supplies. The RWA has been an incredible partner, standing in solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees and proving they are an organisation committed to supporting sanctuary in the arts.

Since 2024, we’ve been working with a dedicated team of volunteers to run family days out to Westbury Wildlife Park. We’re pleased to report they have evolved into their own organisation, ‘Place2Play’, and as such are running more regular trips from the hotels. The team do a fantastic job, allowing families to play, relax and have access to nature around Bristol, which can be so difficult for hotel residents to access. They have been focusing on gardening skills, wellbeing in the outdoors and end each session by sharing a meal in the forest. We also can’t forget Folk Stars, showing up every week to teach and play music with children and young people living in asylum hotels. They have also begun giving out instruments to children, so that they can continue to practice and progress outside of the sessions.

As you can see from the above, the Outreach project couldn’t do half of what it does without the help and collaboration of a huge number of organisations, groups and individuals. In the uncertain times we are living through, when global events can feel uncontrollable, shifting focus to our local context can be a much-needed source of optimism, connection and renewal. As we move into spring, we do not take for granted and keep in mind that hope is easy to find in the generosity and positivity of the Borderlands community.