Laura is the chair of Calderdale Valley of Sanctuary, and, along with her partner Finn, one of our west Yorkshire hosts. While their house outside Hebden Bridge can be too remote for some guests, others have found the nature and peace to be just what they need.

“Finn and I have been involved with refugee charities for quite a long time,” said Laura.

“10 years ago we set up a charity called Together We Grow which came from the idea that if we had to flee our home, the thought of being somewhere where you can’t access nature would really impact our wellbeing. We knew from our previous work with refugees that most are rehoused in the middle of towns without access to green space, so we wanted to help provide it.”

Their charity was a huge success, and after growing faster than the couple anticipated, they took a step back to work with other groups in the area.

“A few years ago we got to a point where we knew that we were going to have spare bedrooms at home. It was shortly after the evacuation of Kabul and I remember feeling this horror about what you can do when you’re faced with these utterly overwhelming situations. We realised that what we can do is offer our home to a person, from anywhere, who is looking for a place they can start to recover and recuperate.

“We’re quite a rural borough and we live in a small village, so our home can really work for people who find nature quite nurturing. We’ve got a big garden and open moorlands around us which can be perfect for some, but less ideal for others.

“Our first guest was a man from Sudan who stayed with us for three months and it must have just worked for him. He went into Leeds three days a week , which is over an hour on public transport. We’re still in contact and visit each other which is lovely. I think staying with us provided him with that safe place where he could just work out his next steps in life.

“After that we had a couple from Libya who stayed just over a week. We celebrated Eid together. One of them really loved being here. He wandered around the garden a lot and I think it brought him peace. His wife found it quite stressful not being in the middle of things and for her, Halifax and other cities felt quite a long way away.”

While the area may be rural, there’s no shortage of solidarity for those looking to rebuild their lives. Calderdale is part of the national City of Sanctuary movement – a place where the local community comes together to welcome refugees and people seeking asylum and help them find safety and stability. It also boasts the UK’s first ‘Cinema of Sanctuary’, providing support, free screenings, and a warm welcome for those in need.

At the heart of the borough is St Augustine’s, a community centre and one of our most active referrers in the region.

“They are the welcome point for anyone who seeks sanctuary or asylum in Calderdale,” said Laura. “We are really lucky to have a place like it and a staff team that are so passionate and committed.

“Every day there’s lots going on – immigration advice and support, writing groups, hairdressers, sports. They really get to know the people who are coming through their doors, and it doesn’t matter who you talk to, there is a real connection with people.

“Refugees who have been relocated say that they wish there was a St Augustine’s where they are. It’s more than a centre – it feels like a family. It’s a very warm place for many people.”

Laura and her partner plan to continue hosting whenever possible but acknowledge it can come with its own challenges.

“I think our real learning has been that you just go with the flow and each person is different. When our first guest stayed with us for three months we thought ‘ok this is what future placements will be like’ but we’ve since learned that they can be a lot more varied than that.”

While everything went well with their first guests, two of them have arrived at the couple’s home and decided to stay with friends instead.

“It’s a big ask of someone to come and live with strangers isn’t it? When that happened we just said ‘you’re very welcome here but if you would feel happier being with your friend then feel free, because that’s the right thing for you.’

“To anyone considering hosting I’d say to be bold, try it, and go in with a very open mind. Be kind to yourselves if it doesn’t work in the way that you expect, because it’ll be a different experience every time.”

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