The sun shone on Tuesday and about 45 people seeking refuge accompanied by Adele, Lazlo, Maria, Phil, Seydou and Wayne enjoyed time at Craig y Nos country park courtesy of the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. Hot drinks and cakes on arrival were provided by the café at the request of Clare and these were greatly enjoyed.

Fran, Anna and Eleri, community development officers, arranged a number of activities and people were also able to enjoy the sunshine and scenery. Meanwhile in a room nearby Maggie, Nikki, Jonny, Muriel, Khalfan, Ailsa and Jo were preparing a picnic feast. Mike had made a large tub of hummus and added to this were pitta bread, a variety of salads, eggs, fish, cheese, fruit, crisps and biscuits. The picnic was enjoyed on the meadow after it was transported there in wheelbarrows with the help of one of the wardens. After everyone had eaten, 26 takeaway containers were filled with the left overs which went back to Unity in Diversity with Wayne.

The meadow provided a great place to play football and Nikki’s sons Tali and Zak enjoyed playing, geo-caching and den building with some of the Swansea youngsters.

Maria wrote afterwards – ‘I am writing on behalf of us all from Swansea who benefitted from another fantastic respite day trip at Craig y Nos. Thank you to all the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees Support Group for the organisation of this wonderful day. We are aware that there is an enormous amount of work required beforehand in order for these events to go smoothly. We very much appreciate the group funding the bus, coordinating with the staff at Craig y Nos, providing and transporting the wonderful food and being a friendly, supportive group who made all our friends feel welcomed and valued. Approximately forty five asylum seeker/refugee men, women and children (and four volunteers), returned home to Swansea this evening feeling tired, well fed and stimulated by a day in the fresh air with friends. Please convey our sincere thanks to all concerned. We look forward to our next day together.’

We would like to say a big thank you to the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and especially to Francesca, Anna and Eleri who made the day truly special by organising activities for everyone. We would also like to say thank you to Unity in Diversity and the Swansea Bay Asylum Seekers Support Group without whom the day would not have been possible.  Lastly – a big thank you to all of the volunteers for their enthusiasm: Adele, Lazlo, Maria, Phil, Seydou and Wayne from Swansea as well as Jonny, Nikki, Maggie, Jo, Mike, Muriel, Khalfan and Ailsa.

Many thanks @hbts4refugees @craigynoscastle @BreconBeaconsNP for an amazing outing – we pass on heartfelt thanks 🙂 pic.twitter.com/eHtKEKPUJe

— Unity in Diversity (@uidswansea) 6 April 2016

Photo credits: Muriel Gallan (photos within article) and Wayne Yare (photos in Twitter post).