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A day in Hay Castle in support of Together with Refugees ‘Fair begins here’ campaign.

A day in Hay Castle in support of Together with Refugees ‘Fair begins here’ campaign.

This was another wonderful day for so many people being given the chance to share the love and in support of Together with Refugees. #FairBeginsHere @refugeestogether @hbts4refugees @cityofsanctuaryuk
#TogetherWithRefugees

Pupils from 5 classes at Hay schools came up with staff and volunteers  during the day to participate in a day of activities designed to highlight the ‘Together with Refugees’ campaign for fairer kinder asylum laws. People calling into the castle  great hall  were also encouraged to join in with us .

A fair new plan for refugees would

  • Ensures protection for people fleeing war and persecution by upholding the UK’s commitment under international law to the right to claim asylum.
  • Provides a proper strategy for welcoming refugees, who do so much to enrich our society, by ensuring fair, rapid decisions on their application for asylum, and the chance to rebuild their lives through settling in a community.
  • Forges stronger global cooperation to tackle the root causes that force people to flee their homes and provides positive solutions when they do, including through safe routes to refugee protection.

the hall with craft tables for willow heart making with Heather, Badge making with Matt  and Anna and Card and plane making with Claire, Ailsa, Rhiannon,  Lis, Margaret and others. at various times throughout the day.

the hall with bunting made by Virginia

Rogers and friend who made the book of parliamentary bills

jane Dodds, David Chadwick with Ailsa and Margaret calling for better asylum laws with the wonderful banner made by Virginia

Tom True of Hay Castle accepting the handmade book of Parliamentary immigration bills.The .beautiful blue book was hand bound by Rebound Books for Hay, Brecon  and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees (HBTSR) using copies of some of the 2019-2024 Conservative government’s  immigration Bills- The Illegal Migration Act and the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and immigration) Bill. The pages  have been overwritten with messages of empathy, humanity and welcome, turning  documents that were designed to continue a hostile environment into a thing of beauty and love.
 The book was launched on February 13th 2024 at Hay Castle  as part of the ‘Fair Begins Here’ campaign which calls for a fair new plan for people seeking sanctuary that works for everyone. Signatures and messages were added at Welcome days  and events organised by HBTSR. The pages were folded into a heart shape by Heather Dixon. On February 14th 2025 the book was presented to Tom True at Hay  Castle as a historical document of the years of the last Conservative government .

 

 

 

 

 

some quiet time with mum

Virginia with one of her banners- posing under duress!

one of our information boards

one of teh badges showing a long journey

Reminding children about a famous fictional refugee

Rhiannon and a pupil signing wish tags for a willow tree.

a proud plane and heart maker

showing our support for the campaign

 

some of our attendees looking at books about seeking refuge

Matt with the badge machine

 

 

information about the group and the schools competition

The collective thoughts about the Border security, Asylum and Immigration Bill are  that it’s more of the same ! Information taken from a critique written by Asylum Matters
The focus  is on Border Security and Criminalisation rather than trying to fix the broken asylum system.

Missing
1 NO Safe routes, Still a ban on work for people seeking asylum
We want

**Open safe routes for people seeking asylum to reach the UK so that people are not forced to risk their lives in the Channel, including providing visa routes, enabling families to reunite safely, and rebuilding refugee resettlement;
*Abandon offshore processing, and further border externalisation as typified by the EU Migration Pact, and ensure that people are able to have their cases processed in the UK in a fair and timely way;
*Resolve the legal aid crisis and ensure that everyone has access to good quality legal advice;
*House people seeking asylum in communities, not camps, and close down all institutional accommodation including barracks, barges, hotels and hostels which cause unnecessary lasting harm at an eye-watering cost to the taxpayer whilst community-based accommodation is available;
*Restore the right to work for people seeking asylum within six months of arrival so people can rebuild their lives in dignity and contribute £1.2 billion to the UK economy;
*Increase asylum support rates so people seeking safety are not locked into poverty and forced to choose between essentials like food and toiletries;
*End the use of immigration detention which restricts people’s freedom and liberty and causes immense harm to people’s physical and mental health;
*End the criminalisation of people seeking asylum which sets the UK out of step with international law, does nothing to deter irregular migration and punishes those often fleeing wars we started in countries we colonised for simply seeking safety;
*End the use of harmful rhetoric aimed at people seeking asylum, which contributes to a hostile environment which includes violence by far-right groups, and instead lead by example by promoting messages of compassion and welcome towards people seeking safety.

This can be summarised as an asylum bill without any new asylum policies. This was a chance to fix our broken system, but the bill contains nothing on the right to work, substandard accommodation or poverty-packet support rates.

We hope that our day of Activity has helped to highlight our concerns

 

 Press release

David Chadwick MP for Brecon, Radnor and cwmtawe and Jane Dodds regional MS have signed the ‘Fair Begins Here Parliamentary Promise’ (1) from campaign coalition Together With Refugees to show their commitment to take action to win a fair new plan for refugees.

Hay Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees [HBTSR ]a charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers is a member of Together With Refugees, asked David Chadwick and Jane Dodds to join them in signing the Fair Begins Here Parliamentary Promise at Hay Castle on 14th February . HBTSR s one of 100s of national and local organisations across the UK who have also signed the Promise.

HBTSR arranged a day of activities for Valentines day to highlight the need for a kinder and fairer Asylum system. Hay Castle kindly allowed HBTSR to take over the Great Hall to do willow heart weaving, badge, paper planes and Card making and to tell people about the issues with the current immigration system. It was also an opportunity to present Tom True of Hay Castle with a handbound book of some immigration parliamentary bills that have been overwritten with messages of support and welcome and then folded into a heart shape.

The parliamentary version of the Promise, signed by David Chadwick MP, states: “I am proud that in the area I represent, people go the extra mile to welcome refugees – opening their homes, volunteering, speaking up, donating. However, the UK’s asylum system is not working. It’s not working for refugees and it’s not working for local communities.

“Along with the majority of people across the country and hundreds of local and national civil society organisations, I want an approach to the asylum system that is well managed, fair and compassionate.”

It goes onto call for a fair new plan for refugees that:

  • Ensures protection for people fleeing war and persecution by upholding the UK’s commitment under international law to the right to claim asylum.

  • Provides a proper strategy for welcoming refugees, who do so much to enrich our society, by ensuring fair, rapid decisions on their application for asylum, and the chance to rebuild their lives through settling in a community.

  • Forges stronger global cooperation to tackle the root causes that force people to flee their homes and provides positive solutions when they do, including through safe routes to refugee protection.

Finally the Promise says: “I commit to do all I can to make this happen and promise to: stand together with refugees in my constituency and Parliament; take action to win a fair new plan for refugees for our country; and support local groups in my community that welcome and support refugees. And I call on MPs from all parts of the country and all parties to join me and sign this Promise. Because fair begins here, with all of us.”

David Chadwick MP, said: “There is amazing work happening here in this area to welcome asylum seekers and refugees, including from HBTSR   As a community we have come together as neighbours, friends and colleagues to build an open and supportive place for everyone who lives and works here. That’s why I’m proud to sign this Promise today and show my commitment to win a fair new plan for refugees, one that is properly managed, kind and compassionate.”

 

Ailsa Dunn secretary for HBTSR said:  “The current asylum system in the UK is cruel, costly and chaotic. But here in our area there is great work happening to support refugees and asylum seekers in the area. We are delighted that [both David and Jane have signed this Promise to take action to win a fair plan for people seeking sanctuary .  Their backing both locally and nationally is vital, and reflects the support of local people for those who have been forced to flee their home country to build a new life here in our area.”