History
Refugees have been arriving and settling in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea over the last century: Jewish refugees from Eastern European pogroms, as well as from Nazi Germany; Belgian refugees during the First World War; child refugees from the Spanish Civil War; Polish refugees after the Second World War; refugees from Vietnam and Somali refugees who had fled that country’s civil war.
The Welsh Refugee Council is a national refugee charity for Wales. It was established with the support of partners including refugees, refugee communities, politicians, voluntary organisations and statutory bodies. In 1990 Welsh Refugee Council was set up in a small Cardiff office, with funding from the Home Office. The budget was £30,000 per year.
In 1996 we sponsored research by Swansea University’s Dr Vaughan Robinson that established that there were 3,600 refugees in Wales. In response to the Asylum and Immigration Act of the same year, a fund was set up to support in-country asylum applicants who were destitute.
In 2000 we worked with Cardiff County Council to develop a Refugee Strategy specifically tailored to the needs of refugees and Cardiff. This initiative was the first of its kind in Europe.
The 1999 Immigration Act resulted in a dispersal process that sent more asylum seekers to Wales and our organisation faced rapid and unprecedented challenges. Over a six-month period the organisation expanded dramatically as larger numbers of clients were accessing new services. The number of staff increased five-fold to 18 staff members, the organisation’s budgets increased ten fold, and new offices opened in Swansea, Newport and Wrexham.
From a one-person organisation in 1990 to a staff of over 50 in 2007 the Welsh Refugee Council has expanded to empower refugees and asylum seekers rebuild their lives in Wales. We continue to work with a wide range of partners and have supported thousands of refugees and asylum seekers from across the globe.
empowering refugees
and asylum seekers
to rebuild their lives
in wales
Contact Details
General Enquiries
Tel: 029 2048 9800
Fax: 029 2043 2980
Email: info@welshrefugeecouncil.org
Further Contact Information
