On 25th September 2026, we welcomed our partners who work with refugees and people seeking asylum from all across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to our centre for our Open Day, Surviving to Thriving. The day was an opportunity to learn more about our work, hear directly from people with lived experience and spend time thinking about how we can work together more effectively.
The day began with presentations from five members of Nottingham Refugee Forum’s Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) – a group of volunteers that enables the direct personal experiences of the UK asylum system inform our services and are at the heart of our future direction. Each LEAG member shared a different aspect of their experience seeking safety in the UK, helping to build a deeper understanding of challenges that are often unknown and shocking.
Their presentations spoke to a wide range of deeply challenging experiences, including long waits in limbo, life in Home Office accommodation, navigating negative asylum decisions, experiences of resettlement and the financial barriers created by high visa costs. Many of these issues are hidden, not just from the wider public but sometimes even by the organisations and professionals supporting refugees and people seeking asylum. Hearing directly from people who have lived through them helped partners better understand what it really means to seek asylum behind the policies, processes and headlines.
Throughout the day, attendees took part in workshops exploring our Advice Service, Resettlement Programme and Community Projects. These sessions gave partners the chance to learn more about the support available through Nottingham Refugee Forum and the role each area plays in helping the 4,000+ people we support each year to navigate life in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
The challenges discussed throughout the day are not challenges any organisation can address alone. Bringing organisations together to share knowledge, experiences and ideas was a crucial part of the event and reminded us of how much can be achieved through strong partnership working.
“What a great day, I had no idea of the full scope of the amazing work you do – and what a wonderful garden!”
After a delicious lunch prepared by Cafe Narjis volunteers, we ended the day with round-table discussions. Partners reflected on the challenges facing the sector, shared examples of good practice and explored opportunities to work more closely together in the future.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, listened so thoughtfully to the experiences shared by our volunteers and contributed their own ideas and expertise throughout the day.
It can be challenging supporting a group who are so often scapegoated by parts of the media, politicians and the public. But our Open Day also showed how much care, expertise and commitment exists across Nottinghamshire, and just how many opportunities there are to work together to better support people who have been forced to flee their homes. We left feeling encouraged by the conversations that took place and excited about the opportunities for closer collaboration in the months ahead.
“I thought the open day was fantastic, and had no idea that it was the first. It’s a great model. The quality of connections and challenge to other agencies and the system in the afternoon was powerful. I think it provides a strong basis for building an ongoing compact and dialogue for strategic alignment between agencies -don’t stop there!”
Please have a look at the brilliant photos from the day below.
