An incredible £1,425,000 has been raised by Guardian and Observer readers for our charity appeal in aid of refugees and asylum seekers.
Three charities will share in the donations – Refugee Councils of Britain, Refugees at Home and the No Accommodation Network (Naccom). Each provides frontline help to homeless and destitute refugees and asylum seekers and campaigns for a more humane asylum system.
Just over 12,750 readers donated to the 2023 appeal, which closed at midnight on Sunday. It was accompanied by a series of features and a Guardian film about the three charities. It is the eighth successive year the Guardian and Observer charity appeal has raised more than £1m.
Refugees at Home – which during the course of the appeal chalked up its 500,000th hosted night – paid tribute to the “outstanding generosity” of Guardian and Observer readers, a number of whom have themselves now signed up as volunteer hosts.
Ahmad Al-Rashid, who was the first guest ever to be hosted by the Refugees at Home community in 2016 and is now a trustee of the charity, said: “The money you have donated will go directly to getting more refugees and asylum seekers off the streets and into warm homes.”
He added: “Your generosity has been about more than money. Above all, this campaign has stood out as a beacon of fellowship for those seeking sanctuary, beaming a message of welcome and compassion as they begin new lives in the UK.”
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “At a time when refugees are facing so much hostility, it’s more important than ever to say loud and clear that they are welcome here. These donations will go towards funding our vital services and help strengthen our work towards a better and fairer refugee protection system.”
Bridget Young, the director of Naccom, said most of Naccom’s share of donations would be distributed in grant form to a selection of its grassroots member charities across the UK which support destitution and homeless refugees and asylum seekers. She said: “A huge and heartfelt thanks to everyone who so generously supported this appeal.”
The provisional total, inclusive of estimated Gift Aid, stood at £1,425,000. The donations, net of a payment to the appeal donation handler Charities Trust, will be shared between the three charities.
