Together, Winter 2025
Creating Communities of Hospitality
As we approach the end of 2025, many of us will be thinking about our plans to spend time with loved ones, about the ways we’ll celebrate the festive period, and maybe about having a well-earned rest at the end of a busy year.
But for many people seeking sanctuary, this season might entail a different kind of preparation: for cold weather, for vital services being shut for the holidays, for missing loved ones & remembering old festive family traditions.
At JRS UK, we accompany families who are navigating the asylum system. Their experiences, shared in this special extended edition of Together, are a powerful reminder of what it means to hold on to hope, and why change in the asylum system is much-needed. To Lois, Mohammad, and Victoria B, – thank you for sharing your stories with us.
In recent months we’ve seen the suspension of refugee family reunion routes (one of the few safe routes for people to get to the UK), the arbitrary cruelty of the ‘one-in-one-out’ policy, and the co-opting of the Christian message to incite hostility against people seeking sanctuary.
All of this should rouse us to action. As Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner, shared during her visit to JRS UK: the ‘othering’ of refugees is incredibly dangerous (read more on page 7).
As ever, I’d like to leave you with some words on things that have been inspiring me: the solidarity of our friends in faith communities and schools (page 10), the extraordinary resilience and hope Lois, Mohammad, and Victoria B demonstrate in their stories (in this newsletter and in our Advent Appeal), and the continued support that you continue to give refugee friends (page 13).
At the end of Dilexi Te, Pope Leo’s recent Apostolic Exhortation, he writes: “Christian love is prophetic: it works miracles and knows no limits… through your work, your efforts to change unjust social structures or your simple, heartfelt gesture of closeness and support, the poor will come to realise that Jesus’ words are addressed personally to each of them: “I have loved you””.
Thank you for all your solidarity and prayers this year, and for your generous support of this year’s Advent Appeal to help refugee families stay warm, connected, and supported this winter.
"The UK is my home. It's where I feel safe: I have spent more than half my life here. But life in the asylum system isn't straightforward"
Mohammad
Take a peek inside...
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Maryam's journey of hope in Indonesia
Page 2
Due to instability in her home country, Maryam and her family sought refuge in Indonesia in 2015. Joining the Refugee Tailoring Project opened opportunities for Maryam to meet people and share her skills.
From our kitchen: Biryani recipe
Page 3
Dean is training to be a chef. Here, he shares the recipe for a comforting, spiced rice dish to share with loved ones this winter.
Seeking safety in a complex system
Pages 4-5
Mohammad’s story of growing up in the asylum system: “I came to the UK when I was 12 with my mother and brother, hoping for safety and a fresh start.”
Family reunification
Page 6
Refugees are often separated from their families by war, violence, or persecution. But in September the government suspended the route that allowed recognised refugees to bring some close family members to the UK.
"Holding lives together"
Page 7
In October, Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, visited JRS UK to meet with refugee families and hear first-hand about the experiences of children navigating the UK asylum system.
A family seeking sanctuary
Pages 8-9
Lois is a grandmother in her seventies, full of warmth, wisdom, and unwavering faith. Her story is one of courage, endurance, and hope, a story that speaks to the heart of what it means to seek sanctuary.
Advent reflections: Bishop Paul
Page 10
In entering the fullness of this season of hope and promise we permit our minds and hearts to be stretched to include all refugees who today are yearning for peace and a better life.
Advent reflections: Catherine Crombie
Page 11
At Stonyhurst College, we have sought to respond to the call to welcome refugees in tangible ways. This Advent, the students are collecting toiletries for refugees served by JRS UK and preparing to delive them in person
Advent reflections: Megan Knowles
Page 12
Advent is a time of expectant hope and joy of the wonderous birth of Jesus. It’s a time of year I love: a moment in the Church’s calendar to connect with this expectancy, living and praying in a precious space of hope and joy; for we know what is to come.
How you made a difference to families
Page 13
Thanks to your support, refugee families found accompaniment and hope this year.
Music & drama: Methods of self-expression
Pages 14-15
Kasia McPherson, BYU Intern, shares some insight into preparations for our Advent Service… to which you are cordially invited! Find out more at www.jrsuk.net/advent-service
Support people as they navigate the asylum system
Will you stand with families seeking sanctuary this Advent?
My name is Victoria B. I have two sons and we came to the UK in 2012 to seek safety for my eldest.
We come from West Africa. My son is disabled, and beginning when he was two years old, he was repeatedly kidnapped for rituals. If the police were bribed, they wouldn’t take action. Again and again, we had to rescue him ourselves. Eventually, I made the decision to leave everything behind and seek safety for us elsewhere.
The support you get even when you have children in the asylum system simply isn’t enough, and I wasn’t allowed to work to support us. I had to visit charities to have enough food and to pick up clothing to look after my family; to feed us and to be clothed with dignity, or warmly in the winter.
Then I found JRS UK, where we can access vital support – food, clothes, and toiletries. I am part of the volunteer cooking team, and I’m often asked to cook when we are welcoming important guests! It makes me happy to see people eating my food.
Your support means everything. It gives me and my family access to food, clothes, and toiletries, which we can’t buy ourselves. It also gives us financial assistance to buy essentials we need, or to travel to appointments. Winter is coming, and I know I’ll be able to access warm clothing, hats, gloves, and scarves. It’s nice being able to wear good quality clothing: I don’t want shabby clothing to always identify me as someone different.
I’m so grateful for your help. May God Almighty bless you. I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This period of my life is dark right now, but I have faith things will turn out for the better.
