Community
Community
Discover how we’ve helped refugees build connections and contribute to their communities
Our community development programmes are co-designed and delivered with refugees. They enable people to build connections with peers and neighbours, and address barriers to feeling included such as how refugees can access neo natal care, and how to reduce isolation.
It's difficult to start again from nothing, especially if you are traumatised. We help people who have fled war and persecution to find their way in an unfamiliar system and make connections, so they can start to rebuild their lives.
Mamoon, Community Development Worker
Together with community groups, partners and volunteers, we continue to work with partners across the nation to advocate and support the expansion of community sponsorship, where ordinary citizens and communities can come together to support refugees and people seeking asylum with funds, finding accommodation, accessing healthcare and more.
We have made the case for Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs) to deliver Community Sponsorship Schemes across the country given their extensive experience of supporting people within their communities.
Khalid*, his wife, and their children are from Syria. The Refugee Council’s team in Yorkshire helped them to settle into their new community. Khalid has found a job at a factory making bags.
Since I’ve been in the country, I have tried to do my best, I registered with Refugee Council, I learnt to drive. I started to work for my family.
When I arrived in the country, I was just out of a traumatic experience, I was mentally very tired. When I arrived, Rehan (from the Refugee Council) met me. He was one of the best people I met. He was constantly working on our case. He was going with me to locations, helping me with IDs, school... Later on Yula from the Refugee Council helped me to find a job and to write my CV and I had a good experience with these two people.
We went together to the interview for the company where I’m working at the moment. I was successful and now I am number one at work with production, efficiency and quality of work. They are happy and I’m happy.
Khalid
Fair Shot
Fair Shot is all about football. We want to use the incredible power of the game, and the passion of its fans to create more accepting and welcoming communities for refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK. It was recently recognised as one of Big Issue’s Changemakers of 2025.
At the heart of this movement is Fair Shot FC, made up of players from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria and The Gambia who have fled to the UK due to war and/or persecution in their home countries. They have come together due to the positive impact football has on their lives.
Football is a universal language and it brings people together, so I’m very excited to be coaching Fair Shot FC. All of the players have stories that inspire me, and our time playing football together has helped me get to know them.
Head Coach, David Simmons
Because of football now I have a lot of friends here in England. I didn’t know anyone here when I arrived. I think Fair Shot is a wonderful campaign. You can see the results, people are happy, people are smiling, you can see what it means to the players and it means a lot to me.
Arsenal fan, Liubov
It’s been brilliant playing with people from different backgrounds, some good footballers as well - it’s bonded everyone.
Sam, Rotherham United fan
Comic Relief are proud to support Refugee Council; we strongly value their use of sport to empower refugees and people seeking asylum as they build a better life in the UK.
Comic Relief
