The Harbour Project

The Harbour Project exists to provide welcome, support and safety for asylum seekers and refugees in Swindon. We provide an ever-increasing range of services to meet the needs that our visitors bring.

Here is a taste of what we offer – we are always keen to hear new ideas, so please do get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions.

Drop-in centre: every weekday we welcome up to 80 visitors, who come for information, advice, support, social contact and English classes.

Classes: at present we run classes and courses in art, cookery, computer and English language. We’re looking to expand into providing music workshops to develop skills and promote personal development.

Trips: we organise trips to cultural events and destinations, both around Swindon and further afield.

Focus: Our office provides support not only to visitors and volunteers, but to a wide range of individuals and organisations from Swindon and beyond, who are looking for information, help or a pointer in the right direction.

Film nights: Saturdays during the winter months, these are a chance to promote social inclusion as well as English language skills.

Football: we have an increasingly successful soccer team.

Events: Harbour organises and contributes to a host of events throughout the year, from national events like Refugee Week to our own Harbour Fest Swindon and renowned annual curry nights.

Volunteers: to support the breadth of our work, we engage with volunteers from all walks of life, some of whom are people who have been through our doors as refugees themselves.

Public relations: The Harbour Project can often provide useful information and real case-studies to highlight the difficulties faced by asylum seekers.

Relaxation sessions: run in our ‘tranquillity zone’, these can provide some help with mental health issues that result from the experiences many of our visitors have been through.