We arrange Welcome Days for asylum seekers in the Liverpool area, each month from March to November.
We are a voluntary ecumenical group based at St. Peter’s Church collaborating with Asylum Link Merseyside. Active Asylum gathers a group of no more than thirteen asylum seekers for us to bring to Formby.
Asylum seekers are invariably strongly motivated, courageous and frequently highly qualified. With a desire to change the world for the better, many would like to return to their own country if it became possible. They come from places such as Palestine, Yemen, and Cameroon, as well as Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Often there is armed conflict or persecution in the country of origin. Such people have genuine reasons to be with us, many with harrowing personal accounts. Responses to our Welcome Days are always positive, warm, heart-felt and sometimes emotional.
At St. Peter’s church hall we provide a hot drink and vegetarian lunch for everyone, then we visit Ainsdale beach for games and swimming, weather permitting. We return to the hall for afternoon tea, and St. Peter’s Mother’s Union donate a bag of toiletries to each person before their return to Liverpool. If the weather is too inclement for the beach, we spend the afternoon playing table top games, such as bagatelle and ‘four in a row’, which always prove popular.
We collect and distribute good quality clothing (particularly men’s) donated by Formby people. Asylum Link has a bicycle repair workshop and so we also deliver unwanted bicycles to be recycled and brought into new use.
We welcome any donations and time, particularly from a driver able to handle a minibus. peterspaine@gmail.com