Frome Town Council’s Welcome Hub marked Refugee Week UK from 17th to 23rd June with events including a graffiti art workshop with artist Mutartis Boswell, a migration-themed workshop for schools, stand-up comedy, crafts, yoga and storytelling, celebrating the stories and contributions of displaced people.
On Friday 21st June, Frome’s Merlin Theatre welcomed Selam, Pepa and Usman from London-based Counterpoint Arts’ comedy collective ‘No Direction Home’. All the performers have direct experience of being displaced, or are the children of displaced people. On Saturday 22nd June, musician Olha Koptieva and members of Frome’s Ukrainian community shared crafts, activities and live music at 23 Bath St. To round off the week, on Sunday 23rd, the Welcome Hub hosted a family fun day in Victoria Park, featuring music, storytelling, art and yoga and a shared picnic.
Ella, aged 11, worked with Dramakarma for the storytelling workshop at the family fun day. Ella’s dad Steve said:
‘Ella had a great time working on this project with the team at DramaKarma. She loved working as a team, feeding off each other’s energy and reacting as one, overcoming the potentially scary unknown of ‘live audience reaction’, having fun managing the mic tech swaps and the unexpected sound box swinging movements and gathering up the energy and confidence to elicit audience feedback where necessary with the Ooohs and Arrrhs and Ohhhhs. It was a great experience, she’s learnt a lot from the whole process, about herself and what she can do when she really puts her mind to it, about teams and teamwork and about the power stories have, to bring people together.”
Clare Hein of Frome Welcomes Refugees said “The family day in the park was a celebration of how our community supports displaced people with respect, empowerment and creativity. There were art displays from local school children, graffiti art, free children and adult yoga sessions, free dual language books, and fantastic storytelling by four talented young people. The stories were not simply brilliant ( which they were)… they also told tales of courage in the face of adversity. And of course there was delicious coffee from the community cafe in the park!”
Cllr Philip Campagna said “The brilliant team at the Welcome Hub provide vital support to refugees and displaced people in Frome, whether it’s solving housing, work and education issues or simply helping them to make friends and acclimatise to life in the UK. Thank you to the Welcome Hub team and all the people and organisations who helped to make Frome’s Refugee Week events successful this year.”
Find out more about the Frome Welcome Hub and services for refugees and people seeking asylum at https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/our-community/frome-refugee-support-hub.
Acknowledgements
The Welcome Hub and Frome Town Council would like to thank:
Olha Koptieva (curator, Ukrainian Soul),Counterpoint Arts, Merlin Theatre, Olha Ivanenko, Svitlana Semasko and Yuliia Fedorova (workshop hosts, Ukrainian Soul). Mariia Zakhozha and Nina Pukhtieieva (baked Ukrainian goods), Roann, Selam, Pepa and Usman (No Direction Home), Iryna Kupenko (photo booth, Ukrainian Soul), Paul Boswell, Svitlana Kulyk, Sarah Phillips and Caravan Arts, Myroslava Butrym and Olena Kalinina. (photography), Ant Forest of Ashtanga Yoga Frome, Vicky Hall of Rainbow Flow, Safia, Archie and Natalia on behalf of Idries Shah foundation and Hoopoe Books, Abi Bailey, Djembe Tots, Michael, Somerset Storyfest, POD scrapstore, Critchill School, St Louis, Nunney First School and Trinity First School, Olena Mandrovska and Yana Kozha (hosts, Ukrainian Soul), and 23 Bath St
