“It’s exceptionally rewarding to see people begin to open up”
Alongside his wife, Laura, Chris has hosted with us since 2017. Part of the reason they signed up to host was to fight back against the hostile environment policies, and since then, through Refugees at Home and other organisations, they’re about to welcome their 50th guest. We spoke to Chris about his motivation for opening his home, and how the couple’s support for their guests goes beyond hosting.
Years ago, we went to a talk by Dr Pietro Bartolo, the doctor who treated refugees after they arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa. Someone asked him how a small island in the Mediterranean could take in so many people, and he said how he believes there’s a collective responsibility to look after refugees, as well as an individual one.
As we left, we thought about that individual responsibility and wondered how we could do it. Our children had left home so we thought ‘we’ve got these spare rooms, why don’t we have a refugee stay with us?’
When we decided to host, part of our motivation was to undermine the hostile environment and to show that Britain could be a welcoming place.
We’re about to host our 50th guest, and we’ve welcomed a massive range of people from all over the world. For us, as well as offering a room, a big part of it is providing practical information about how this country works and helping with things like CVs and forms.
By hosting, we’ve been able to talk to people who know what’s going on in a number of countries. Last year we hosted someone from Gaza who was able to tell us a lot about the situation there. We were present when he was talking to his family there and the multiple movements they had to make to stay safe. We hear about conflicts in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and we’ve spoken to so many people who provide us with the most amazing amount of information.
One of our recent guests was a university lecturer in East Africa. Because she’s gay, she was dismissed by her employer and disowned by her family. When she came here she told us how she wanted to start doing a master’s degree. We helped her get a job in a restaurant and she worked hard and managed to save up the fees so she could start her studies, and she’s invited us to her graduation!
It’s exceptionally rewarding to see people begin to open up, and hosting is highly likely to be much more rewarding than difficult. Aside from a language barrier, the problems are usually very minor things like ‘I wish that person would get out of the shower,’ – problems you’d have living with anyone!
One of the most fun things is introducing guests to classical music – I have taken people to concerts at the Royal Opera House, the Festival Hall, and even sung with one in an LSO Gospel choir at the Barbican.
We’re still in touch with some of them today. Often, they’ll come and see the cat and have a cup of tea. One of our guests was pregnant and when she had her baby, she named it after my wife.
