As always, the refugee and asylum-seeker social activity groups started the year with a flurry of energy, laughter, and shared experiences.
January – Horniman Museum: Wet, Windy, and Wonderful
Our first meetup of the year took us to the ever-enchanting Horniman Museum—and though the weather was wet and windy, spirits were sky-high! From the charming aquarium and fascinating exhibitions to the dreamy butterfly house, the day was packed with culture, nature, and magic.
One group member summed it up beautifully:
“Thank you for that wonderful trip, it was so good! I really enjoyed it, even though the rain tried to disturb us. Thank you, we love you—God bless you.”
Moments like these are exactly why we do what we do! Check out some pics below:
February – Gardening Club Blooms Again!
February saw the joyful return of the WCC Gardening Club, in partnership with Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST). Every Wednesday, green-fingered members gather in the garden behind our office, and over the past five months, they’ve completely transformed the space.
With new planters, a blooming rose garden, and fresh energy all around, the garden has become a hub of community, learning, and laughter. Huge thanks go to Mustafa at BOST, whose dedication and hard work have helped this project flourish.
Mus shared some inspiring words about the club’s environmental goals and sustainable plans:
As part of our efforts to be more sustainable and increase our positive impact environmentally, we have been working with Bankside Open Spaces Trust, and environmental and volunteering charity, that facilitates the MECS Gardening Club.
We are committed to promoting and increasing biodiversity, recycling and repurposing old materials.
We are becoming more environmentally aware in respect to encourage more biodiversity at our Greet House site, for example, together with MECS and BOST, we started a dead hedge, using cuttings from garden maintenance that are too big for the compost bin. The dead hedge will encourage more biodiversity at our site, in particular to invertebrates like beetles, small mammals, like field mice, and small birds – creating a sustainable ecosystem, and along with out plans to install a sink pond and to repurpose an old locker into a larger pond, we will encourage even more wildlife, like frogs and wildlife education to our service users and participants.
The base for the new planters we installed are from spent timber and stones found from within the grounds to add drainage and to part fill the planters with these materials before adding the growing substrates like compost – which further saves on transport and reduces environmental impact even further.
Furthermore, we are starting our own compost bin later this year, we will be installing a hot composter, to create our own compost from the kitchen waste in the Summer.
We are avoiding using plastic or unnecessary liners in the garden, including planters, and we hope that this will also reduce our impact further.
Our choices of most of our ornamental plants have been chosen to encourage pollinators, like bees and wasps and the Akebia Quinta, lavender, verbena bonariensis and tithonias will do well in the gravel garden we will be installing over the course of this year. We have also chosen some of our vegetable crops that have been bred to handle drought conditions, like the ‘Boltardy’ beetroot variety, and the artichoke plant.
We are installing a gravel garden in the sunniest side entrance to deal with drought conditions and support our efforts to use less water in this area, while we use more water for some of our vegetable crops like tomatoes and beans.
Check out the progress in the pictures below:
March – Tower of London: History and Hijinks
In early March, we braved the chill for a fantastic outing to the Tower of London, thanks to our brilliant partnership with Historic Royal Palaces and their community access scheme.
It was a truly unforgettable day, packed with stories of crowns, castles, and (just a touch of) gruesome history. From ancient towers to glittering treasures, the group explored it all with wide eyes and even wider smiles – as you will see in the images below:
One member of the social outings group, and a Gardening Club participant had this wonderful feedback to share:
Every time I pass by the Tower of London, I remember how wonderfully we spent our time there, and each time I pray that our community grows, that all of us develop, becoming stronger and happier with each day, and that just as you, the community, help us, we could also help other people and our community.
Since our last meetings, a lot has changed for me: I found a job, although the first salary will only be in a month, I need to find housing, focus on obtaining all the documents, and prepare to start a new life.
I want to express my enormous gratitude — words cannot convey — to my beloved community WCC, which has given me tremendous support, help, and love. In the United Kingdom, I have no relatives or friends from my old life; now I have a new family and new friends — better, stronger, and friendlier.
A Day in the Sun at Hampton Court Palace
On the 28th April, our refugee social group had the pleasure of spending a beautiful, sunny day exploring the historic Hampton Court Palace. We set off from Waterloo by train, full of excitement for the day ahead—and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
Our visit began with a deep dive into history as we toured the Tudor kitchens, the royal apartments, and the magnificent Great Hall. It was incredible to walk the same halls that once echoed with the footsteps of kings and queens. Afterwards, we stepped outside to take in the palace’s glorious gardens, where rows of colourful tulips were in full bloom, adding a burst of springtime magic to our afternoon.
We’re so grateful to the team at Hampton Court Palace for their warm welcome. Not only did they provide us with a dedicated lunch space, but they also hosted a fascinating object handling session that allowed us to get hands-on with historical items—an unforgettable experience for many in the group.
It was a day filled with learning, laughter, and community—exactly what we aim for with every outing.
Thank you Lucian and WCC for the wonderful outing trip today , my heart and my wellbeing are very uplifted 💖🙏
Here’s to many more!
Want to refer someone to our social activity groups?
We’re always welcoming new members into our vibrant, friendly community. If you know someone seeking connection, creativity, and a whole lot of joy—send them our way!
Click here to refer someone. Let’s keep making memories together.