Our recent Welcome Day at Llangorse Community Centre on Sunday 29th March was a joyful and memorable gathering, bringing together families, volunteers, and community members for a day filled with warmth, creativity, and shared experiences.
Although Thanu was unable to attend on the day, we are incredibly grateful for all the work that she did behind the scenes with recruitment and coordination. The visitors were led by Ruth and Carlos. In Llangorse, Melrose and Ailsa coordinated the event with Chris D, Penny, Lynne, Mrs Becky in the kitchen ensuring that food was made ready and a large number of people washing up including Odile, Seren, Claire, Sian and Rhiannon. Tim and Philip looked after the welcome desk throughout the day.

Creative Activities and Entertainment


The day offered a wide range of activities for all ages. Heather and Matt guided participants in making beautiful willow rag hearts, while Sue, Nadia, and Eden led engaging clay modelling sessions. There was also face painting, complete with colourful hair extensions and decorative headpieces, which proved especially popular with the children. Thanks to Claire and Michele.
A highlight of the day was a lively performance by a local ukulele band led by Ian, which encouraged plenty of audience participation and added to the convivial atmosphere.

A Truly International Gathering


We were delighted to welcome families and individuals seeking asylum from a wide range of countries, including Venezuela, El Salvador, Cameroon, Colombia, Bolivia, Botswana, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Albania, the Northern Caucasus, Honduras, Malaysia and India.
In total, attendance on the day included:
30 visiting adults
2 babies
25 children (16 girls and 9 boys aged 2–14)
3 young Sudanese men attending with their foster parent, Stuart
And over 45 locals
Despite the Weather…


Although the day was cold and rainy—and even began with a Coach breakdown on arrival that required a replacement—spirits remained high. Participants enjoyed two walks led by Rob, Ruth ,Wally and Gareth:
A visit to the local church where Muslim participants were able to take time for midday prayers and others were amazed to realise that worship had taken place on the same site for 1500 years and that the current building is about 500 years old. Thanks to Rev Anna for facilitating this
A second walk to a nearby riding centre to see horses and hens [ thanks to Myfannwy] , followed by a visit to the lake to view ducks and the reconstructed historic roundhouse overlooking the Crannog.

Food and Generosity in Abundance


As always, the food was a centrepiece of the day, with an incredible variety of dishes shared. These included vegetable chilli, tagine, cauliflower and almond curry, dal, chickpea curry, vegetable stew, pizza, pasta bakes, falafel, vegetable shish kebabs, salads, hummus, and fresh breads from local bakery POBL alongside pitta bread.
There was also a generous selection of home made cakes, biscuits, and fresh fruit—including bananas, grapes, clementines, and apples—as well as potatoes and onions for families to take home. Many attendees were able to leave with containers of food for additional meals, along with kitchenware, children’s books, and clothing. Ruth generously donated a large collection of well loved soft toys that will become a new friend to many adults and children!
Ruth, for Swansea Asylum seekers support playgroup , was delighted to take away a wonderful collection of children’s books, puzzles, games, and yoga mats to support future activity sessions.

A Few Memorable Moments


Even in the rain, families embraced the day with enthusiasm—one group arriving fully prepared in bright waterproofs, bringing laughter and energy to the walks. There was also a fascinating cultural exchange around the plant cuckoo pint (Arum maculatum), with one family sharing their traditional method of preparing it safely, despite its natural toxicity. None of the local people felt inclined to try it!

What Participants Said


The feedback we received speaks volumes about the impact of the day:
“I am grateful for your kindness, the wonderful guitar concert, the delicious food, the hospitality and the warmth… The bananas took me back to my home country and brought back fond memories of my family.”
“Everything was truly amazing—from the enjoyable walk and the great atmosphere, to the generous gifts and the delicious lunch… It’s not something we will forget.”
“It was our first time outside of Swansea and we loved it.”
“The food, the people, the place is amazing—thank you so much.”
“We were very happy with today’s trip and had a nice day.”
While overwhelmingly positive, some helpful feedback was also shared, including the need for more seating on the coach and consideration of weather when planning future trips.

Thank You


A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped organise, volunteer, cook, lead activities, and support this special day. Thanks also to all participants and people who chatted, tidied and just generally added to the day. To all of you, your kindness, generosity, and commitment made it a truly meaningful experience for all involved.
We look forward to many more days like this—bringing people together, building connections, and creating lasting memories.

Thanks to Melrose for coordination and for all the hard work done by Nadia, Tim ,Ruth, Christina, Eden, Margaret McB, Philip, Rowland, Rhiannon, Lynne, Claire A ,Tamara, Virginia, Matthew, Heather, Rob, Sue B, Adil, Sian, Claire, Michele, Stuart ,Alison, Odile, Rachel, Ian, Steve, Holly, Sue, Margaret, Pat ,Dawn , Kumari,Michael ,Rosemary, Seren, Roger, Ron, Gareth, Liz ,Keith ,Jane .Penny, Wally, and Gareth.

Thanks also to Pobl bakery for donating bread and to the Ukelele band for performing. Thanks to Cathy and Dennis fruit stall in Abergavenny market and to Claire’s Wholefoods in Talgarth for subsidising the fruit and veg. Thanks also to Heather, Matt , Nadia and Sue for their time and expertise in leading the craft activities.

Many thanks to Tamara for taking this photo! i always mean to but never quite get it sorted!