'Refutrees' raises thousands of pounds to support displaced people
A seasonal Christmas tree sale is expected to raise more than £30,000 for Aid Box Community, the St Andrews based charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers.
Under the banner Refutrees, some 1,500 pines are being sold from St Bart’s Church, just around the corner from the charity’s new headquarters in the former church hall.
The annual sale has become a major source of revenue for ABC. Founder Imogen Mcintosh said: “The first year we raised £5,000, then it went up to £10,000 and it’s just gone up from there.
“We’re always looking for extra income as the demand for our services continues to increase.”
That demand is reflected in the 4,500 people that ABC has helped in the past year or so – help that includes a free shop with clothing and goods for asylum seekers denied paid work and living on just a few pounds a week. They’re assisted by a small team of part-time staff and more than 300 volunteers.
“We’ve had the most incredible support from the local community since we moved here in September”, says Imogen.
The size of ABC is something Imogen couldn’t have imagined back in 2015 when she and a few others began taking supplies directly to northern France following publicity about the squalid camps there. Aid Box Community came out of that, setting up in a former car repair shop in Redland before moving to Cheltenham Road and now St Andrews.
Referrals to ABC are made by word of mouth and through 70 different service groups. The charity also arranges activities to combat the isolation felt by many of their clients. A weekly football get-together regularly attracts 50 men, with 40 women attending swimming sessions.
Reflecting on the past decade, Imogen says at first she failed to realise how hard it was for displaced people to find work and to settle. And the current highly-charged debate around immigrants presents new threats.
“We know we’re a sitting target here for the far right, but fortunately we have so much support in Bristol that we haven’t had any problems so far, although we have installed CCTV”, she says.
“It’s just so sad that the people we help will never be able to live a peaceful life like the rest of us”.
More details on Refutrees and Aid Box Community here.
