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Blackburn with Darwen Refugee Week 2025 Magazine

To celebrate Refugee Week 2025's theme of 'Community as a Superpower', Kairos Housing produced a magazine showcasing the collaborative efforts across the Blackburn with Darwen community in supporting refugees and asylum seekers. This special edition also features recipes from around the world, contributed by our 'Tastes of Home' club, alongside insightful articles designed to help readers learn more about the asylum system in the UK and hear about the firsthand experiences of those who have navigated it.

Refugee Week 2025: Community as a superpower: Launch event

For Refugee Week 2025, Kairos Housing proudly hosted the Blackburn with Darwen Refugee Week 2025 launch event at The Exchange Blackburn. This special evening brought together the Mayor and Mayoress, the Leader of the Council, councillors, faith leaders and community groups, all united in welcoming asylum seekers and refugees. Guests enjoyed a delicious feast prepared by our Tastes of Home Club volunteers, with help from Blackburn Food Alliance. The highlight was the premiere of "Together We Are"—a collaborative poem created with Nathan Parker, local asylum seekers and refugees, and filmed and animated by Huckleberry Films.

The event also marked the launch of the Blackburn with Darwen Refugee Week magazine, a publication commissioned to celebrate community as a superpower. We were thrilled to introduce the new Blackburn with Darwen Refugee Week group, comprised of women with lived experience of the refugee journey who now call our borough home. This inspiring group was interviewed by Stephen Norcross and is chaired by Nancy Kinyanjui, both integral members of the Kairos Housing team. The evening also featured the beautiful sitar music of Peter Laydm. Attendees had the chance to learn more about organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers in our borough at stalls from DARE, ARC, IMO, Revolution and Welcome to Blackburn with Darwen. The event, presented by Lisa Norcross and Tinta Ali, was supported by a wonderful team of volunteers.

Tastes of Home Club

Our new Tastes of Home Club runs every other Wednesday at 12-2. Each week our guests learn all about a new country and how to cook one of it's traditional dishes. They then enjoy the meal together for their lunch. It's a great time to learn new skills and enjoy time together. These sessions have been made possible by working with the ARC project and funding from The Food Alliance and The Soil Association.

Blackpool Trip September 2024

Thanks to the generous loan of The 180 Project's mini bus and funding from the National Lottery, we had a grand day out in Blackpool. We spent the day at the zoo, explored the sea front and ended with a chippy tea and a drive through the illuminations.

The Stitch Table

Sometimes our Friday Drop-In is extra special! This Friday in July we were visited by The Stitch Table and were able to add our stitches. This has been a collaboration between ARC, DARE, Community Harmony and visitors to this years Festival of Making. We can't wait to see the finished result.

Broadrake

In July 2024 we had a great opportunity to join DARE on their annual trip to Broadrake in the Yorkshire Dales. Me and Nancy had a grand day out with a trip to the Wensleydale Cheese Factory and Hardraw Force ending with songs round the campfire. Three of our guests enjoyed three full restorative days away at DAREs invitation. Thank you DARE!

Focus & Fly

We loved collaborating with ARC and Focus & Fly to complete an 8-week confidence and self-esteem building course.

Refugee Week 2024 - Our Home

For Refugee Week in 2024 we commissioned a film where guests and staff at Kairos Housing with lived experience of the asylum process have shared what home means to them. We premiered the film with a special BBQ event at our social hub with friends of Kairos Housing and the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen. You can watch the film and our other videos on our 'media & awards' page.

Film Club

Guests and members of the asylum seekers, refugee and local community can connect at Film Club in the Kairos Hub.

180 Gym

We are partnering with 180, ARC and DARE to access cross fit sessions for tenants who would like to improve their mental and physical fitness. Through a shared sweaty workout and building new friendships we’re not just building a stronger body and mind, but also stronger, more interconnected communities across BwD

Feeding Families 2024

From January - March 2024 we are working with Blackburn with Darwen Housing Needs team, Community Harmony and their amazing network of volunteers to help feed families in Blackburn with Darwen with in emergency accommodation in our borough.

Christmas Dinner at Kairos 2023

This year we held our first (of hopefully many) Kairos Housing Christmas Dinner! Everyone worked together to make a fabulous feast.

Christmas Tree Festival 2023

In November 2023 we had fun at The Exchange Blackburn setting up our tree from the 1860's ready for their Christmas Tree Festival.
During the Victorian era, people crafted paper decorations for their trees. Upon closer inspection, you'll notice that our paper decorations are made from maps, serving as a symbolic representation of the journeys the individuals we support have undertaken.

Yorkshire Three Peaks Fundraising Challenge

Our amazing team, joined by some of the 180 team, raised over £1000 for our vital work by conquering 3 mountains and waling over 24 miles in one day!

Refugee Week 2023

We celebrated 2023 refugee week's theme of compassion by commissioning this great film highlighting the compassionate welcome offered by the charities and the council of Blackburn with Darwen. You can watch the film and our other videos on our 'media' page.

Volunteers

Were always looking out for volunteers to help keep things running smoothly at Kairos Housing!

Our Hub has a new carpet! 2023

We're looking smart after our new flooring was fitted. Thanks to everyone who donated to the cause!

Renovating our new office 2022/2023

With donations from the new Bishop of Blackburn, and a lot of hard graft our new office is up and running!

Carols at Kairos 2022

In December 2022 we were part of Lancashire Sings Christmas. We held the event in our newly renovated courtyard and celebrated with a BBQ, Hot chocolates and a fire-pit!

Blackburn Festival of Light 2022- Our lantern workshop, illuminated window displays and the parade.

We loved being part of Blackburn's Festival of Light 2022. In collaboration with the The Bureau Centre for the Arts we ran lantern making workshops, had a local school and a local artist decorate our window with a 'migration' theme and took part in the parade through the centre of the town.

Our Courtyard Transformation Project 2022

With funding from the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust we were able to transform our courtyard garden. We worked over a number of weeks with the great team at The Witton Greenhouse Project to build planters and benches to fill the space.