Date published: 2025-06-16 | Category: Bath, welfare support
The contributions that refugees make to communities and the creativity and resilience they bring is being celebrated in Bath and North East Somerset this week.
Refugee Week which starts today (June 16) is the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Residents in Bath and North East Somerset have welcomed many refugees and displaced communities from around the world who are now contributing to the local economy and living safely, including almost 400 Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Some 130 refugees from Afghanistan and Syria have also been welcomed as part of government resettlement schemes.
Local Refugee Week events have included Bath Refugee Festival at Fairfield House on June 15 which featured food and music from around the world and inspiring stories from refugees.
At Widcombe Social Club on June 18 at 7.30pm, the event Displaced: Within and Beyond presented by The Friends of Oleksandriya will celebrate the power of community and connection and the strength of Ukrainian culture and artistry.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has a dedicated Resettlement Team to support people arriving in B&NES in partnership with community organisations including Bath Welcomes Refugees.
Councillor Matt McCabe, cabinet member for Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development, said: “I am really proud of the work that has been done locally to welcome refugees and of the way that the council and communities have been able to work together to make a real difference to people’s lives.
“Watching people and families grow in strength and independence as they rebuild and restart their lives here is heart-warming and is something that enriches our community. Not only do refugees strengthen our economy and our cultural bonds, but they also help make B&NES the welcoming and inclusive area that it is.”
The council provides support to refugee arrivals under the UK Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Resettlement Programme, and also co-ordinates the Homes for Ukraine scheme in B&NES.
For further information about the council’s work, contact Resettlement@bathnes.gov.uk
ENDS