This document provides information on refugee support initiatives across Wales. It details how schools, charities, religious organizations, and citizens in each Welsh region have advocated for and assisted refugees through fundraising, hosting, English lessons, welcoming demonstrations, and lobbying local governments to resettle more refugees. Overall, the people and communities of Wales have actively supported refugees through both grassroots and organized efforts.

1. Bridgend: 6
Caerphilly: 12
Cardiff: 26
Carmarthenshire: 33
Ceredigion: 23
Conwy: 3 Denbighshire: 5
Flintshire: 5
Gwynedd: 12
Isle of Anglesey: 4
Merthyr Tydfil: 8
Monmouthshire: 15
Neath Port Talbot: 52
Newport: 10
Pembrokeshire: 0
Powys: 44
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 34
Swansea: 45
Vale of Glamorgan: 15
Blaenau Gwent: 15
Torfaen: 15
Wrexham: 20
Wales

2. North Wales
Gwynedd:
Welsh MPs, on behalf of schoolchildren at Ysgol
O.M. Edwards in Llanuwchllyn kick off 2017 in
Westminster by delivering New Year messages
urging the Prime Minister to consider the
rhetoric used to talk about refugees.
Conwy:
Students lie in 'body bags' on beach to raise
awareness of refugees' plight. Students had
tweeted @EiriasAmnesty that the protest was
called “Don’t let them drown”.
Denbighshire:
Prestatyn born singer Mike Peters joined other Welsh rock stars to
contribute songs to an album to raise funds for Syrian Refugees.
Wrexham:
Central Methodist Church in
Wrexham provide informal classes
for English for Speakers of Other
Language (ESOL) and also enables
further community support for
Syrian families. Members of the
Wrexham Asylum Seeker and
Refugee Support Group have also
provided practical support,
household goods and clothing
where needed.
Christian Aid Wales’ 140-mile walk from Bethlehem in
Carmarthenshire to Aifft (Egypt) in Denbighshire (4 to 15 Dec
2016) raised over £31,000 to date in support of the charity’s
Christmas Appeal in response to the global refugee crisis.
Michelle Jones, runs the volunteer-led North Wales Refugee Support. A network of
volunteers who collect donations and negotiate for resettlement with their councils
School children made the cards throughout December to call
on Theresa May to ensure the words she uses reflect the
proud tradition in the UK of welcoming those in need and to
ask that her policies offer hope to those looking for a safe
place to call home.

3. Mid Wales
Ceredigion:
11 Syrian refugees have been housed in private properties in Aberystwyth with
the tenancies managed by Care Society, a stand-alone voluntary organisation.
Powys:
Welsh MPs, on behalf
of schoolchildren at
Ysgol Pennal in
Machynlleth kick off
2017 in Westminster
by delivering New Year
messages urging the
Prime Minister to
consider the rhetoric
used to talk about
refugees.
School children made
the cards throughout
December to call on
Theresa May to ensure
the words she uses
reflect the proud
tradition in the UK of
welcoming those in
need and to ask that
her policies offer hope
to those looking for a
safe place to call
home.
British Red Cross is providing daily support for refugees. "We have been busy
helping them with practical issues such as registering with a GP and signing
tenancy agreements and also simple things like helping with their shopping," said
Denise John, locality manager at the British Red Cross in Ceredigion.
Primary school students at Ysgol Gymraeg in Aberystwyth
worked with Aberystwyth based artist, Valériane Leblond,
and Oxfam Cymru to create a mural of welcome for
refugees. The learners were inspired by their own
messages of welcome for refugees, as well as letters of
welcome from local people which were collected at the
Oxfam shop in Aberystwyth.
Lindsey Gaunt, a business development officer at the
University of Wales, started the group Aberaid in her
seafront town of Aberystwyth teaming up with partners
around the country to propose a deal with their local
council. Its members would collect donations of bedding,
crockery and furniture if Ceredigion council would
immediately resettle 50 Syrians.
From July to August 2016, Ceredigion Museum hosted an exhibition organised by
THE REFUGEE WALES which included stories and songs from a number of local
artists as well as Syrian refugees. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the event
involved sharing personal stories to raise awareness of the lives of people who are
living in Wales as refugees or asylum seekers.
About 700 demonstrators gathered in Aberystwyth to protest against President Donald Trump's decision to suspend admission of Syrian
refugees into United States.

4. West Wales
Carmarthenshire:
Christian Aid Wales’ 140-mile
walk from Bethlehem in
Carmarthenshire to Aifft
(Egypt) in Denbighshire (4 to
15 Dec 2016) raised over
£31,000 to date in support of
the charity’s Christmas Appeal
in response to the global
refugee crisis.
Pembrokeshire:
Volunteer Vicky Moller is hosting getaways for
refugees in her farming village. After months
of hosting respite trips for refugees, Moller is
advocating for the UK government to legalise
private sponsorship and allow locals in her
farming community to cover the costs of
hosting refugees long-term.
A couple from Llanelli raised £700 for the
refugee camp in Calais in a week. Dion Cowe,
aged 20, and 26-year-old Ben Sawyer also
travelled to the camp in November 2016 for a
week-long volunteering stint.
These days, some asylum seekers and refugees
like Salman Malak travel to Pembrokeshire.
“There are so few youths in the village, and the
area needs young people to work on the fields
and farms,” says Malak. “And for people who
want to go to the countryside and learn
English, it’s quite an opportunity to integrate
and work together.”
Following UK government’s announcement that it will allow pilots of ‘Community sponsored
settlement’, a new group was formed in Narberth to welcome Syrian refugees. The group will meet
regularly to plan how to raise the money and to provide homes, meet and greet and integrate Syrian
families into the town.

5. South Wales
Cardiff City of Sanctuary: a grass-roots movement involved in
awareness raising sessions with primary and secondary schools in
Wales with an aim to build a ‘a culture of hospitality and welcome,
especially for individuals seeking sanctuary from war and persecution.’
Torfaen:
Volunteers have set up a support
group and have made welcome
hampers containing food and
toiletries. As well as sending clothes
and other essential items to refugee
camps in Syria, the group has been
helping those moving to the county
settle into the community.
Neath Port Talbot:
Welsh born actor Michael Sheen
has been outspoken on the
refugee crisis and visited a
refugee camp to speak out about
the plight of Syrian children
affected by war.
Swansea:
About 700 demonstrators gathered in Swansea city
centre to protest against President Donald Trump's
decision to suspend admission of Syrian refugees into
United State
Rhondda Cynon Taf:
Welsh rock stars such as Stereophonics - founded in
Cwmaman, have come together to contribute songs
to an album to raise funds for Refugee Action.
Caerphilly:
Welsh rock stars such as Manic Street Preachers (founded in Blackwood, Caerphilly) have come
together to contribute songs to an album to raise funds for Refugee Action. Uniting under the
banner of Welsh Rock For Refugees – Reach Out is a 30-track, download-only album with all
proceeds from the release being donated to the UK-based charity that helps refugees at home
and abroad.
Cardiff Migrant Solidarity: ‘a group of individuals based
around the Cardiff area who are interested in
supporting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and
fighting against racism and repression in south Wales.’
e.g. “If someone is detained by the Home Office we can
contact their lawyer, friends and family, arrange for
their belongings to be looked after, provide emotional
support and encouragement, contact the press and
media about their case and run emergency campaigns
and protests to stop them being forcibly removed.”
Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) developed a manifesto outlining ‘Seven
Steps to Sanctuary’, identifying key actions that can be delivered by the
Welsh Government, to ensure that Wales continues its long tradition of
welcoming refugees and strives to create progressive, effective and
meaningful strategies to challenge inequalities and promote the
integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Welsh communities.
The Syrian Association in Wales (SAIW) - a movement bringing Syrians together under one umbrella in
Wales to help them to integrate into the Welsh society. They offer free English courses for new arrivals
and organise various events including football matches and cooking shows.
Citizens Cymru Wales has been training citizens across Wales to lobby local councils to resettle refugees.
About 1,000 demonstrators gathered in Cardiff to protest against President Donald Trump's decision to
suspend admission of Syrian refugees into United States
Cardiff:
Oasis Cardiff is a centre for Asylum Seekers and Refugees offering English classes, employability
workshops, dance classes, a women’s only area, mother and toddler groups and support with letters and
phone calls regarding asylum and refugee issues.