Statement on the closure of the Evesham hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers

The closure this week of the Evesham Hotel as asylum accommodation is a big event for our charity. Over the last 4 and a half years over 500 people, men, women and children, have passed through their doors and it has been our pleasure to welcome and support the vast majority of these. Friendships have been forged and joint experiences have provided enormous pleasure and a lot of shared learning. As the saying goes ‘every day is a school day’ and our understanding and knowledge of the refugee experience and the cultural, religious and social needs of others has grown enormously over the years. And we believe we have been able to give people a good introduction to life in the UK, with all its quirks.

We have been delighted by the way the local community have responded to the presence of refugees in our area, despite some raising initial concerns and doubts. Many of the people who came through the hotel became regular volunteers across the community, supporting other local voluntary groups, as well as our own services. Refugee children were welcomed in local schools, and local faith groups also opened their doors to new arrivals. We have been blessed with a large response to our requests for donations both financial and material and have built up a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers and supporters, many of whom have been with us for the whole time we have been providing services to refugees in the area (since 2019). They are a truly wonderful bunch of human beings.

It has been especially pleasing to see many people wanting to settle in Evesham permanently once their asylum has been agreed, but even those who have moved on elsewhere often stay in touch and it is always lovely to see the many responses from old friends to our messages for birthdays, religious celebrations and when we have good news to share. We believe our community has been enriched by our new friends and neighbours and we look forward to others joining us as time goes by.

These last few weeks have been emotionally quite difficult as we have seen the people left in the hotel being relocated on the usual ‘no choice’ basis, often to places where support is difficult to find. One family (Mum and 2 very small children) were sent to Aberdeen! But wherever possible we have managed to link them up with places and organisations they can visit to seek help and advice, and several have remained within the West Midlands area, so we know we will be able to follow their progress closely.

We will miss the ‘buzz’ of working with an ever-changing population, despite the many problems and challenges this brought us, but know we will now have more time to work with those who remain in the community, to help them integrate successfully long term and to work towards their eventual citizenship. Certainly, we will still be busy! ESOL lessons will continue, as will our advice and guidance sessions, our sewing group and most of our other services. But we know we will need to offer new and adapted services too.

We would like to thank all the staff in the Evesham Hotel who met their new challenges with open hearts and a real ‘can do’ attitude and wish them all well in their roles as the hotel moves forward. But also all our partners in other local organisations, charities and schools, (you know who you are!), who have been so willing to work alongside us and provide care and encouragement to people often bewildered in their new surroundings.

A new chapter now begins, with new challenges, new learning and new joys to experience. We can only look forward to it!