Refugee charity marks 25 years with fashion show

Handmade clothes, including traditional Kurdish, Afghan and Syrian dresses, were modelled with dance and singing performances

A refugee support charity has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a fashion show and party.

Suffolk Refugee Support was founded in 1999 to offer advice, advocacy and help to people arriving in the county.

An event held at Dance East on the Ipswich Waterfront included students from Suffolk New College modelling clothes made at a weekly sewing group.

Maryam Arif, an Afghan resettlement worker, said: "They do an amazing job for everyone who needs help."

Maryam Arif, originally from Afghanistan, has been working at Suffolk Refugee Support for six months

Ms Arif came to the UK from Afghanistan in 2012, studying art and design at Suffolk New College in Ipswich before working in the healthcare sector.

She has handmade some of the clothes on display, telling the show audience that "wherever you live, that's your country".

"No doubt I'm from Afghanistan, I love Afghanistan, but now I'm here, I'm from England, too," she said.

The show opened with a vocal performance of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5, with videos of the sewing group shown during outfit changes

The latest data from the government shows that in the year to March 2024 there were 69,298 new asylum applications made in the UK, down 14% on the previous year.

The most recent information shows there are 1,857 people, including those on specific Ukraine and Afghanistan schemes, being supported across the five local authorities in Suffolk.

Charity founder Cynthia Capey and current charity manager Rebecca Crerar enjoyed the performances and food from around the world

Supporters, staff and volunteers, along with people who have been helped by Suffolk Refugee Support, were welcomed by manager Rebecca Crerar.

She spoke of her pride in the network, but also her sadness at the continuing need.

"We started off with Kosovans, and Afghans and Kurds and then Syrian, Sudanese, everybody," she said.

"We have built an organisation that is proud to help those people and support them and watch them grow and tonight, that fashion show was just incredible.

"There's so many people here tonight who I know from the past, who came needing a lot of help at very low points on their life, and now they're here with their children, they are running businesses, smiling and doing so well."

The charity's new patron, Sir Nick Young, spoke to 200 guests at the anniversary event

The charity has also appointed its first patron, Sir Nick Young, the former chief executive of the British Red Cross.

He has previously worked for Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire, before becoming chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support. He was knighted for services to cancer care in 2000.

"I've seen both ends of the refugee chain," Sir Nick said.

"I've seen the plight people are in when they come to this country, fearing persecution and with their lives at risk in their own countries.

"I've seen the other end of that in conflict situations or all over the world, Syria, particularly.

"I'm quite sure that if this country was ever to be invaded, people here would feel exactly the same sense of fear and determination to try and find a better life.

"They come here because they see this country as a beacon of hope and they believe that it's the kind of country that would welcome them.

"Sadly, that isn't always the case."