A message from our new CEO... Hello friends, And thank you for the warm welcome to Borderlands where I am so proud to have started as the new CEO. I’ve worked in the refugee support sector for over a decade, in frontline roles including casework and outreach, to policy and advocacy work, programme management and service design, and most recently, I was working as the Director of Bristol City of Sanctuary. In that time, I’ve seen the asylum system become intentionally harsher and deliberately more confusing for the people forced to navigate it. And now we’re seeing proposals from the government that threaten to remove some of the remaining rights and entitlements of refugees and people in the asylum process. Against that backdrop, the simple everyday acts of radical solidarity carried out by Borderlands’ staff and volunteers are a brave symbol of resistance and welcome. I have long been drawn to Borderlands as a place where Bristol locals meet and forge connections with people seeking sanctuary. Where the team stands shoulder to shoulder with people at the harsh edge of social exclusion to create spaces of belonging. It is a huge privilege for me to be a part of Borderlands and I will work tirelessly to do justice to this much-needed work to bring refugees, people seeking asylum and other vulnerable migrants from a place of exclusion to one of belonging. In solidarity, Yasmin |
A message from our new CEO... Hello friends, And thank you for the warm welcome to Borderlands where I am so proud to have started as the new CEO. I’ve worked in the refugee support sector for over a decade, in frontline roles including casework and outreach, to policy and advocacy work, programme management and service design, and most recently, I was working as the Director of Bristol City of Sanctuary. In that time, I’ve seen the asylum system become intentionally harsher and deliberately more confusing for the people forced to navigate it. And now we’re seeing proposals from the government that threaten to remove some of the remaining rights and entitlements of refugees and people in the asylum process. Against that backdrop, the simple everyday acts of radical solidarity carried out by Borderlands’ staff and volunteers are a brave symbol of resistance and welcome. I have long been drawn to Borderlands as a place where Bristol locals meet and forge connections with people seeking sanctuary. Where the team stands shoulder to shoulder with people at the harsh edge of social exclusion to create spaces of belonging. It is a huge privilege for me to be a part of Borderlands and I will work tirelessly to do justice to this much-needed work to bring refugees, people seeking asylum and other vulnerable migrants from a place of exclusion to one of belonging. In solidarity, Yasmin |
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What´s been happening at Borderlands... |
What´s been happening at Borderlands... |
Volunteer Winter Celebration! |
Volunteer Winter Celebration! |
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| To celebrate the hard work and dedication of all our volunteers we hosted a festive Volunteer Celebration Party on 5th December at the Welcome Centre. We were delighted to bring together our drop-in volunteers, mentors, English teachers and outreach volunteers for an evening filled with great food, fun and festive cheer! |
To celebrate the hard work and dedication of all our volunteers we hosted a festive Volunteer Celebration Party on 5th December at the Welcome Centre. We were delighted to bring together our drop-in volunteers, mentors, English teachers and outreach volunteers for an evening filled with great food, fun and festive cheer! |
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The celebration began with drinks and snacks, followed by a heartfelt performance of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a surprise Happy Birthday played on the violin by one of our members. After thank-you speeches and the traditional pulling of Christmas crackers (and with everyone cheerfully adorned in paper hats!) we enjoyed a delicious feast of homemade lasagne, salad and garlic bread prepared by the Borderlands team, alongside some incredible traditional Yemeni and Afghan dishes prepared by some of our members. No festive gathering would be complete without something sweet, so the Borderlands staff hosted their own Christmas Bake Off. Our esteemed judge awarded first place to Maddie for her irresistible chocolate brownies! The evening continued with a wonderfully silly quiz, the unforgettable pudding-head game, human Christmas-tree wrapping, and a lively piñata. We ended the night with joyful traditional dancing in the hall, a perfect finale to a memorable celebration. As we look back on the year, we feel deeply grateful. Our volunteers bring warmth, generosity and spirit to everything we do. Thank you all for your incredible commitment and for making this year so special. Here’s to another wonderful year ahead at the Welcome Centre! |
The celebration began with drinks and snacks, followed by a heartfelt performance of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a surprise Happy Birthday played on the violin by one of our members. After thank-you speeches and the traditional pulling of Christmas crackers (and with everyone cheerfully adorned in paper hats!) we enjoyed a delicious feast of homemade lasagne, salad and garlic bread prepared by the Borderlands team, alongside some incredible traditional Yemeni and Afghan dishes prepared by some of our members. No festive gathering would be complete without something sweet, so the Borderlands staff hosted their own Christmas Bake Off. Our esteemed judge awarded first place to Maddie for her irresistible chocolate brownies! The evening continued with a wonderfully silly quiz, the unforgettable pudding-head game, human Christmas-tree wrapping, and a lively piñata. We ended the night with joyful traditional dancing in the hall, a perfect finale to a memorable celebration. As we look back on the year, we feel deeply grateful. Our volunteers bring warmth, generosity and spirit to everything we do. Thank you all for your incredible commitment and for making this year so special. Here’s to another wonderful year ahead at the Welcome Centre! |
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This term has been an exciting and energising one for the Welcome Centre team. We were delighted to welcome two new staff members: Delphi, our new Volunteer Coordinator, and Nabil, our new Welcome and Member Participation Officer. Both have settled in brilliantly and are already making a huge contribution to the growth and vibrancy of our drop-in. Thanks to a wonderful new cohort of volunteers and our team, we’ve been able to reopen our IT Café, expand our Help Desk, and restart our Sleep Support sessions. At the end of October we were very grateful to receive a very generous donation of organic pumpkins which we supplied to our members through our social supermarket and also served up in some incredible pumpkin dishes during our weekly communal hot lunches. We’ve recently welcomed some new volunteer chefs into the kitchen who have been busy developing fresh ideas and a revitalised menu for our members using new ingredients and featuring a variation of dishes from different cultures. |
This term has been an exciting and energising one for the Welcome Centre team. We were delighted to welcome two new staff members: Delphi, our new Volunteer Coordinator, and Nabil, our new Welcome and Member Participation Officer. Both have settled in brilliantly and are already making a huge contribution to the growth and vibrancy of our drop-in. Thanks to a wonderful new cohort of volunteers and our team, we’ve been able to reopen our IT Café, expand our Help Desk, and restart our Sleep Support sessions. At the end of October we were very grateful to receive a very generous donation of organic pumpkins which we supplied to our members through our social supermarket and also served up in some incredible pumpkin dishes during our weekly communal hot lunches. We’ve recently welcomed some new volunteer chefs into the kitchen who have been busy developing fresh ideas and a revitalised menu for our members using new ingredients and featuring a variation of dishes from different cultures. |
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This month our members were delighted to be invited to the dress rehearsal of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hippodrome. The festive season simply isn’t complete without a panto, and we were incredibly grateful to share this special experience together. And what a show it was! The production had everything: a Will Young concert, a Sooty and Sweep magic show, flying motorcycles, |
This month our members were delighted to be invited to the dress rehearsal of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hippodrome. The festive season simply isn’t complete without a panto, and we were incredibly grateful to share this special experience together. And what a show it was! The production had everything: a Will Young concert, a Sooty and Sweep magic show, flying motorcycles, |
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pyrotechnics, confetti cannons, and even a dancing cow! It was an evening packed with laughter, dancing, and singing from start to finish. A huge thank you to the Hippodrome for the warm hospitality and an unforgettable night! |
pyrotechnics, confetti cannons, and even a dancing cow! It was an evening packed with laughter, dancing, and singing from start to finish. A huge thank you to the Hippodrome for the warm hospitality and an unforgettable night! |
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Gemma & Mustafa: A Season of Beginnings As winter settles over Bristol, we celebrate a mentoring partnership that began with uncertainty and now ends with hope. This is the story of Gemma and Mustafa, two people who met at a pivotal moment for them both. A Nervous Beginning, A New Chapter When Gemma completed her mentor training, she carried the familiar flutter of nerves: would I be helpful? Would we connect? What would he need? At the very same time, Mustafa received life-changing news: after a long wait, he had finally been granted settled status. Their first meeting felt like a shared exhale: “me and Mustafa had our first meeting today. Mustafa had been granted settled status this week so we both celebrated this and talked about what was to come next. Mustafa was very happy and relieved. We walked around the harbour and got to know each other more, talking about literature, education, family and the difference in British and Sudanese culture.” They began the slow, generous work of understanding each other. In those early steps, a partnership was born. However, the weeks that followed were full of challenges. Just as he found safety in his status, Mustafa received a notice to leave the hotel where he had been staying. With nowhere secure to go, he took a leap of faith - sleeping on friends’ sofas, trusting that something more stable would come. His perseverance paid off. He found a room in a shared house with local people in Bristol. Not only a roof, but a place he loves, a space where his new life in the UK could truly begin. Gemma supported him through it all, sending him possible housing options. Together, they kept walking. “I showed Mustafa Conham River Park and we did a long circular walk round Dundridge Park / Troopers Hill. It was nice to show him as Mustafa was very connected to the river back home.” These walks became part of their rhythm. Mustafa had a clear ambition from the start: he wanted to work. Gemma helped him shape his CV, practise interview skills and navigate the unfamiliar pathway to employment in the UK. Her support met his determination and in the final two weeks of their partnership, Mustafa secured a job, which he has now started. But, their meetings were not only about completing tasks, they became moments of connection, two worlds meeting in small, warm conversations. “Me and Mustafa continued with our broad chats which feel like a cultural exchange. We spoke about differences in the education system between Sudan and the UK, Bristol dialect and relationships with nature.” A partnership which began tentatively grew into a mutual exchange of stories, knowledge and ways of seeing the world. A Winter Ending, A New Beginning Gemma and Mustafa marked their final meeting with a celebratory trip to Bath. A fitting close to a journey defined by resilience, exploration and new horizons. Mustafa steps into the new year with a home he loves, a job he earned and the beginning of his life in the UK. And Gemma steps forward as a confident mentor, carrying the joy and learning from her first partnership into whatever comes next. In the heart of winter, this story shines with the quiet warmth of possibility. |
Gemma & Mustafa: A Season of Beginnings As winter settles over Bristol, we celebrate a mentoring partnership that began with uncertainty and now ends with hope. This is the story of Gemma and Mustafa, two people who met at a pivotal moment for them both. A Nervous Beginning, A New Chapter When Gemma completed her mentor training, she carried the familiar flutter of nerves: would I be helpful? Would we connect? What would he need? At the very same time, Mustafa received life-changing news: after a long wait, he had finally been granted settled status. Their first meeting felt like a shared exhale: “me and Mustafa had our first meeting today. Mustafa had been granted settled status this week so we both celebrated this and talked about what was to come next. Mustafa was very happy and relieved. We walked around the harbour and got to know each other more, talking about literature, education, family and the difference in British and Sudanese culture.” They began the slow, generous work of understanding each other. In those early steps, a partnership was born. However, the weeks that followed were full of challenges. Just as he found safety in his status, Mustafa received a notice to leave the hotel where he had been staying. With nowhere secure to go, he took a leap of faith - sleeping on friends’ sofas, trusting that something more stable would come. His perseverance paid off. He found a room in a shared house with local people in Bristol. Not only a roof, but a place he loves, a space where his new life in the UK could truly begin. Gemma supported him through it all, sending him possible housing options. Together, they kept walking. “I showed Mustafa Conham River Park and we did a long circular walk round Dundridge Park / Troopers Hill. It was nice to show him as Mustafa was very connected to the river back home.” These walks became part of their rhythm. Mustafa had a clear ambition from the start: he wanted to work. Gemma helped him shape his CV, practise interview skills and navigate the unfamiliar pathway to employment in the UK. Her support met his determination and in the final two weeks of their partnership, Mustafa secured a job, which he has now started. But, their meetings were not only about completing tasks, they became moments of connection, two worlds meeting in small, warm conversations. “Me and Mustafa continued with our broad chats which feel like a cultural exchange. We spoke about differences in the education system between Sudan and the UK, Bristol dialect and relationships with nature.” A partnership which began tentatively grew into a mutual exchange of stories, knowledge and ways of seeing the world. A Winter Ending, A New Beginning Gemma and Mustafa marked their final meeting with a celebratory trip to Bath. A fitting close to a journey defined by resilience, exploration and new horizons. Mustafa steps into the new year with a home he loves, a job he earned and the beginning of his life in the UK. And Gemma steps forward as a confident mentor, carrying the joy and learning from her first partnership into whatever comes next. In the heart of winter, this story shines with the quiet warmth of possibility. |
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The Autumn term has gone by in a flash, with classes seeing huge interest as our partners around Bristol continue to do a brilliant job helping refugees and asylum seekers find new activities in the city. Against a mixed national backdrop, Borderlands’ classes have been a consistent oasis of positivity, laughter and learning, and our volunteer teachers have put on a huge variety of high-quality classes covering everything from catching buses around Bristol to local myths and stories. Students both old and new have been coming to both our Pre Entry and Entry 1 classes in strong numbers, proving both the huge demand for English and the commitment of those new to the city to learn it. This demand has led to us starting new classes, with one new session in a hotel in the city centre responding to a huge enthusiasm from members, while another has focussed on helping students with their first steps into English, adapting to an alphabet and grammatical structure they hadn’t learned before. We have also welcomed lots of new volunteers from a wide range of fascinating backgrounds, and have been blown away with their enthusiasm with jumping in at the deep end and increasing our range of teaching styles. Our classes also offer our members a chance to find out more about activities and opportunities they can access around Bristol, complementing learning English with a chance to reengage with skills or passions they have previously been involved in, or even to find something completely new. We have had a few success stories this term including one woman who told her poetry group about her history playing football in her home country, and after a short discussion with the teachers she had been recommended a local club that is exceptional in offering a diverse, supportive but competitive environment. Returning to poetry 2 weeks later she told of how she had gone to training, been selected to play and scored on her debut, and was really thrilled to carry on playing with and getting to know her new team mates. With Christmas coming lessons are starting to wrap up, some are currently focussing on celebrations from around the world while others try and decode the festive reasoning behind traditions such as from presents in shoes and lumps of coal. We will pause for 2 weeks over the end of December, and look forward to starting again in January and carrying on where we’ve left off. A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved or supported our sessions, and see you in the new year! |
The Autumn term has gone by in a flash, with classes seeing huge interest as our partners around Bristol continue to do a brilliant job helping refugees and asylum seekers find new activities in the city. Against a mixed national backdrop, Borderlands’ classes have been a consistent oasis of positivity, laughter and learning, and our volunteer teachers have put on a huge variety of high-quality classes covering everything from catching buses around Bristol to local myths and stories. Students both old and new have been coming to both our Pre Entry and Entry 1 classes in strong numbers, proving both the huge demand for English and the commitment of those new to the city to learn it. This demand has led to us starting new classes, with one new session in a hotel in the city centre responding to a huge enthusiasm from members, while another has focussed on helping students with their first steps into English, adapting to an alphabet and grammatical structure they hadn’t learned before. We have also welcomed lots of new volunteers from a wide range of fascinating backgrounds, and have been blown away with their enthusiasm with jumping in at the deep end and increasing our range of teaching styles. Our classes also offer our members a chance to find out more about activities and opportunities they can access around Bristol, complementing learning English with a chance to reengage with skills or passions they have previously been involved in, or even to find something completely new. We have had a few success stories this term including one woman who told her poetry group about her history playing football in her home country, and after a short discussion with the teachers she had been recommended a local club that is exceptional in offering a diverse, supportive but competitive environment. Returning to poetry 2 weeks later she told of how she had gone to training, been selected to play and scored on her debut, and was really thrilled to carry on playing with and getting to know her new team mates. With Christmas coming lessons are starting to wrap up, some are currently focussing on celebrations from around the world while others try and decode the festive reasoning behind traditions such as from presents in shoes and lumps of coal. We will pause for 2 weeks over the end of December, and look forward to starting again in January and carrying on where we’ve left off. A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved or supported our sessions, and see you in the new year! |
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At the end of 2025, Outreach at Borderlands is bigger and more impactful than ever. We’ve been fortunate to welcome Billy to the team, as well as an incredible group of volunteers who assist us in the hotel drop ins. Everyone has hit the ground running with enthusiasm and empathy, two integral qualities for involvement at Borderlands! This year has been tough for people living in asylum hotels. As hostility towards asylum seekers has intensified across the UK, so too has the threat of isolation, with many feeling disconnected from their communities and unwelcome in society. Collaboratively with all the other brilliant organisations in the city, we are working to make Bristol a safe, friendly and welcoming place for asylum seekers to arrive, often after hugely difficult journeys. From exclusion to belonging, we aim to lower the barriers between asylum seekers and the wider community which threaten to create alienation and marginalisation. The Outreach project has evolved to meet these growing challenges. Our focus is on ‘connection and mobility’, and the services we provide contribute to these strategic aims. We are often the first charity to have contact with new arrivals in Bristol and so our first priority is to provide them with a warm welcome; a friendly interaction cannot be underestimated in this era of hostility. Next, we offer practical support, using creative ways to help asylum seekers navigate the obstacles often purposefully constructed against them. This includes SIM card distributions to increase digital mobility, referrals for bicycles and applications for bus passes to provide independence and mobility around the city, as well as signposting and referrals to other organisations for social mobility. As a reminder, asylum seekers in hotels get £9.95 a week to live on and therefore must adapt and seek creative methods to find their way. Some highlights over the last 6 months include a trip to Sims Hill Shared Harvest, more family days at Westbury Wildlife Park, restarting community concert visits at St George’s and a weekly music group called ‘Folk Stars’ run by local musicians who will teach children in hotels how to play ukulele and guitar! We also make an effort to promote culture and arts opportunities throughout the city such as Dovetail Orchestra, community sewing groups, access to the free cinema screenings and courses at the Folk House. The goal is to have something for everyone, and if there’s nothing, we can go away and find something for them. Bristol is a vibrant and generous city with so much to offer if you know where to look. Working in the hotels means we can make connections with people who face a lot of hostility and provide a regular safe space where they’ll be treated with respect, dignity and kindness. We’re able to respond quickly and support people in a proactive way. The more we talk to people, the more we find out what is available, what is missing, and how we can strengthen our support. The Outreach project is still expanding and growing to meet the high demand for the service we’re providing. We are recruiting a group of hardworking volunteers to go into the hotels so that we go from two people working at each drop in to 4 or 5 and improve the quality and scope of support. If you’re interested in helping out, please go to our website and sign up to volunteer with us! |
At the end of 2025, Outreach at Borderlands is bigger and more impactful than ever. We’ve been fortunate to welcome Billy to the team, as well as an incredible group of volunteers who assist us in the hotel drop ins. Everyone has hit the ground running with enthusiasm and empathy, two integral qualities for involvement at Borderlands! This year has been tough for people living in asylum hotels. As hostility towards asylum seekers has intensified across the UK, so too has the threat of isolation, with many feeling disconnected from their communities and unwelcome in society. Collaboratively with all the other brilliant organisations in the city, we are working to make Bristol a safe, friendly and welcoming place for asylum seekers to arrive, often after hugely difficult journeys. From exclusion to belonging, we aim to lower the barriers between asylum seekers and the wider community which threaten to create alienation and marginalisation. The Outreach project has evolved to meet these growing challenges. Our focus is on ‘connection and mobility’, and the services we provide contribute to these strategic aims. We are often the first charity to have contact with new arrivals in Bristol and so our first priority is to provide them with a warm welcome; a friendly interaction cannot be underestimated in this era of hostility. Next, we offer practical support, using creative ways to help asylum seekers navigate the obstacles often purposefully constructed against them. This includes SIM card distributions to increase digital mobility, referrals for bicycles and applications for bus passes to provide independence and mobility around the city, as well as signposting and referrals to other organisations for social mobility. As a reminder, asylum seekers in hotels get £9.95 a week to live on and therefore must adapt and seek creative methods to find their way. Some highlights over the last 6 months include a trip to Sims Hill Shared Harvest, more family days at Westbury Wildlife Park, restarting community concert visits at St George’s and a weekly music group called ‘Folk Stars’ run by local musicians who will teach children in hotels how to play ukulele and guitar! We also make an effort to promote culture and arts opportunities throughout the city such as Dovetail Orchestra, community sewing groups, access to the free cinema screenings and courses at the Folk House. The goal is to have something for everyone, and if there’s nothing, we can go away and find something for them. Bristol is a vibrant and generous city with so much to offer if you know where to look. Working in the hotels means we can make connections with people who face a lot of hostility and provide a regular safe space where they’ll be treated with respect, dignity and kindness. We’re able to respond quickly and support people in a proactive way. The more we talk to people, the more we find out what is available, what is missing, and how we can strengthen our support. The Outreach project is still expanding and growing to meet the high demand for the service we’re providing. We are recruiting a group of hardworking volunteers to go into the hotels so that we go from two people working at each drop in to 4 or 5 and improve the quality and scope of support. If you’re interested in helping out, please go to our website and sign up to volunteer with us! |
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Thanks to the generosity of the Quartet Resilience Fund we have now launched our new Changemakers Group – a space for members to meet directly with our new CEO Yasmin to share their feedback, ideas and concerns. The group is already a huge asset to Borderlands and their discussions are strengthening all our projects and activities by ensuring members’ opinions are embedded into all areas of our work! |
Thanks to the generosity of the Quartet Resilience Fund we have now launched our new Changemakers Group – a space for members to meet directly with our new CEO Yasmin to share their feedback, ideas and concerns. The group is already a huge asset to Borderlands and their discussions are strengthening all our projects and activities by ensuring members’ opinions are embedded into all areas of our work! |
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| We’d also like to say a big thank you to the John James Bristol Foundation who have provided us with an incredibly generous grant of £20,000 to keep our Welcome Centre running! |
We’d also like to say a big thank you to the John James Bristol Foundation who have provided us with an incredibly generous grant of £20,000 to keep our Welcome Centre running! |
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This November, we gathered with members, volunteers, trustees and friends for the Borderlands Annual General Meeting, a chance to reflect on the past year, look ahead to the future, and celebrate the incredible people who make Borderlands what it is. Our new CEO, Yasmin, spoke of her commitment to continue strengthening Borderlands as a member-led, values-driven organisation. It was inspiring to hear her reflections on our projects, the challenges faced by our community, and the opportunities we have to grow our impact. We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Board of Trustees. Their dedication, time and care over the past year has helped steer Borderlands through change, growth, and uncertainty. Their commitment ensures that our work remains grounded, safe, and sustainable. A special highlight of the AGM was the presentation from our Changemakers a group of members with lived experience who recently completed a public speaking workshop at Borderlands. Their confidence, courage, and insight moved and inspired everyone in the room. They reminded us why our work must continue to be shaped with people seeking sanctuary, not just for them. And, of course, no Borderlands gathering would be complete without delicious food. A big thank you to our brilliant member chef who treated us to freshly made pakoras and spring rolls enjoyed by all and shared in the true spirit of community. Thank you to everyone who joined us, contributed or supported behind the scenes. |
This November, we gathered with members, volunteers, trustees and friends for the Borderlands Annual General Meeting, a chance to reflect on the past year, look ahead to the future, and celebrate the incredible people who make Borderlands what it is. Our new CEO, Yasmin, spoke of her commitment to continue strengthening Borderlands as a member-led, values-driven organisation. It was inspiring to hear her reflections on our projects, the challenges faced by our community, and the opportunities we have to grow our impact. We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Board of Trustees. Their dedication, time and care over the past year has helped steer Borderlands through change, growth, and uncertainty. Their commitment ensures that our work remains grounded, safe, and sustainable. A special highlight of the AGM was the presentation from our Changemakers a group of members with lived experience who recently completed a public speaking workshop at Borderlands. Their confidence, courage, and insight moved and inspired everyone in the room. They reminded us why our work must continue to be shaped with people seeking sanctuary, not just for them. And, of course, no Borderlands gathering would be complete without delicious food. A big thank you to our brilliant member chef who treated us to freshly made pakoras and spring rolls enjoyed by all and shared in the true spirit of community. Thank you to everyone who joined us, contributed or supported behind the scenes. |
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As you may have gathered from our project updates, Borderlands has now completed it's recent recruitment phase and we’re delighted to share that our staff team now has twelve members! We’re excited to welcome Delphi and Nabil to our Welcome Centre team, bringing fresh energy and ideas to the heart of our community space. Billy has joined our Outreach team, strengthening the support we offer beyond our walls and out in the community. And we’re thrilled that Yasmin has started as our new CEO, guiding Borderlands into its next chapter with compassion, vision, and a deep commitment to member-led practice. |
As you may have gathered from our project updates, Borderlands has now completed it's recent recruitment phase and we’re delighted to share that our staff team now has twelve members! We’re excited to welcome Delphi and Nabil to our Welcome Centre team, bringing fresh energy and ideas to the heart of our community space. Billy has joined our Outreach team, strengthening the support we offer beyond our walls and out in the community. And we’re thrilled that Yasmin has started as our new CEO, guiding Borderlands into its next chapter with compassion, vision, and a deep commitment to member-led practice. |
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Borderlands Christmas Shop |
Borderlands Christmas Shop |
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| As the nights draw in and we start thinking about gifts for the people we love, we’re excited to invite you to shop with Borderlands this Christmas. When you choose a Borderlands gift, you’re not just ticking someone off your list you’re supporting sanctuary seekers in Bristol to rebuild their lives, learn new skills, and shape the services that support them. From member-designed artwork and books to our Christmas cards, every purchase helps sustain the programmes our community leads and contributes to. Your gift goes further than one moment, it strengthens our shared community all year round. |
As the nights draw in and we start thinking about gifts for the people we love, we’re excited to invite you to shop with Borderlands this Christmas. When you choose a Borderlands gift, you’re not just ticking someone off your list you’re supporting sanctuary seekers in Bristol to rebuild their lives, learn new skills, and shape the services that support them. From member-designed artwork and books to our Christmas cards, every purchase helps sustain the programmes our community leads and contributes to. Your gift goes further than one moment, it strengthens our shared community all year round. |
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With 2025 now drawing to a close, we would like to pause and thank every single person who has been part of Borderlands this year. Whether you are a member, volunteer, supporter, donor or partner, you have helped create a community where people seeking sanctuary are met with welcome, solidarity, and hope.
This year hasn’t been easy. Across the UK, people navigating the asylum system continue to face uncertainty, isolation, and hardship. But within our projects, we have witnessed countless moments of courage, joy, and connection - moments made possible because of you. Your support has helped keep our doors open, our meals shared, our conversations flowing, and our community growing. For many of our members, Borderlands has been a place to rest, learn, laugh, and belong. As we move into the New Year, we remain committed to walking alongside people seeking sanctuary, shaping a future rooted in care, dignity, and community leadership. Thank you for standing with us. Wishing you a peaceful, hopeful, and restorative festive season.
We look forward to continuing this journey together in 2026. With warmth, sharing, respect and solidarity, The Borderlands Team |
With 2025 now drawing to a close, we would like to pause and thank every single person who has been part of Borderlands this year. Whether you are a member, volunteer, supporter, donor or partner, you have helped create a community where people seeking sanctuary are met with welcome, solidarity, and hope.
This year hasn’t been easy. Across the UK, people navigating the asylum system continue to face uncertainty, isolation, and hardship. But within our projects, we have witnessed countless moments of courage, joy, and connection - moments made possible because of you. Your support has helped keep our doors open, our meals shared, our conversations flowing, and our community growing. For many of our members, Borderlands has been a place to rest, learn, laugh, and belong. As we move into the New Year, we remain committed to walking alongside people seeking sanctuary, shaping a future rooted in care, dignity, and community leadership. Thank you for standing with us. Wishing you a peaceful, hopeful, and restorative festive season.
We look forward to continuing this journey together in 2026. With warmth, sharing, respect and solidarity, The Borderlands Team |
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Copyright © 2022 Borderlands (South West) Limited, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is: The Assisi Centre, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, BS5 0RE We thank you for your continued support of our work. If you would like to un-subscribe from this mailing list please click the un-subscribe button on this thread |
Copyright © 2022 Borderlands (South West) Limited, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is: The Assisi Centre, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, BS5 0RE We thank you for your continued support of our work. If you would like to un-subscribe from this mailing list please click the un-subscribe button on this thread |
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