Bath Welcomes Refugees is delighted to announce the winner of the recent fundraising raffle with enormous thanks to artist Alce Harfield for the donation of her absolutely beautiful depiction of Elton John singing Rocketman at Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage in 2023, marking his final ever UK show as part of his epic Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

Scooping the prize was Ed Allchorne, pictured here with the oil painting, who says, “My wife and I are delighted to have won this beautiful representation of Rocketman at Glastonbury. It pays homage to such a diverse range of identities and cultures. We were proud to have supported Bath Welcomes Refugees, and will continue to do so in the future.”

Artist Alce adds, “It is a pleasure to continue to support Bath Welcomes Refugees. As someone who lives in rural Somerset who has neighbours who are refugees from Ukraine (a mother and her two small girls, who continue to be separated from their father and wider family by war) it is important to us at The Bath Art Fair to reach out in any way we can. Donating this painting of Glastonbury Festival is just a small way I can help those who are displaced by conflict, and continues the ethos of the festival.”

The volunteer-led charity Bath Welcomes Refugees would like to thank everyone who entered the raffle, which raised nearly £2,000 and goes towards supporting refugees and asylum seekers to help them feel welcome, supported, and hopeful for the future in their new Bath community.

Look out for next year’s return of the Bath Art Fair, which is organised by Alce Harfield, Friday 21 February – Sunday 23 February at the Bath Pavilion. 

A date for your diary! The Bath Welcomes Refugees jumble sale is happening Saturday 7 December.

The location is St Andrew’s Community Centre, Combe Down, and the time 11.30am–12.30pm.

For more info or to donate items, please email fundraising@bathwelcomesrefugees.org.uk
or call Amanda on 07805 459670.

Over the summer we held three art workshops in collaboration with Severnside Community Rail Partnership, GWR and Cross Country Trains.

Children and adults from the refugee and asylum seeker community were invited along to create artwork on the theme of ‘Our Home’.

Look out for the lovely artwork soon to be on display at Bath Spa Station.

The next Beyond Bath event takes place on Wednesday, 30 October — join us for an evening of dialogue and community building. Come, listen, and be inspired — let’s work together to reshape the narrative of migration!

The talk, entitled ‘Understanding the Venezuelan Refugee and Migrant Crisis’, is set to be a powerful and free community event.

Beyond Bath Talks are a series designed to raise awareness of global realities through the voices of migrants, refugees, and activists, all working towards a more inclusive society.

This month will focus on analysis of the Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis, one of the largest mass migrations in history, caused not by war, but by economic collapse, which led to more than 6.1 million Venezuelans fleeing their country.

Hear directly from Venezuelan migrants as we explore the root causes of the migration, the challenges they face in their new countries, and the resilience that drives them forward.

You can view more about the event on Eventbrite here, where you can also sign up for free.