The church cafe saving Christmas for asylum seekers

Phil Howell has been running Hope Cafe for asylum seekers since 2018

"We're able to help them walk through some of the darkest places of their lives, hopefully to where they can get beyond that. That's priceless."

Pastor Phil Howell has been helping asylum seekers housed in Crewe, Cheshire, since 2018 when he launched Hope Cafe with his wife Emma.

Based at Hope Church, the couple's drop-in sessions have supported about 800 to 900 people who have sought refuge in the UK.

Mr Howell said he has had many "heartbreaking" chats with people about how they have had to flee conflict and persecution in places like Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan and Ethiopia.

"They have not left their homes because they wanted to – it's not on a whim," he said.

"A lot have left careers, homes they built themselves and families who many won't get to see for another four or five years."

Phil Howell said the cafe had helped hundreds of people from across the world

They carry the hurt and pain with them every day but Mr Howell said those feelings are often exacerbated at Christmas, when some are unable to be at home with their loved ones.

While some of them do not celebrate the occasion, he said they were all given gifts including hats, scarves, gloves and toys for those who had children.

"Some of the parents have sent me cute videos of their children who obviously went home and opened their presents straight away," he added.

"It is good to know they've been looked after and cared for this Christmas."

Pins are placed on a map at the church showing where the asylum seekers have come from

The cafe is open at the church on Monday and Wednesday, with more than 100 people a week visiting to pick up bags of donations, including clothes and food.

But Mr Howell said it had also offered asylum seekers a place to socialise outside of their accommodation.

"It's a place they can come and know they're welcome, cared about and valued just for who they are," he said.

"Irrespective of where they come from or their religion, they get a genuine, warm welcome."

'Rewarding'

He urged people in the UK to show asylum seekers compassion and to take time to speak to them and learn about their situations, something which he said he has found both humbling and enriching.

Mr Howell said: "I've found it one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and a lot of the people who come, volunteer and see it actually feel the same."

And he said the difference it had made to the people who use the cafe had been "incredible" and many had become his friends.

"They love it – they come back and they say 'this is our home, this is where we like to be'," he added.