Why Aid Box Community (ABC)?

Aid Box Community provides support, supplies and sanctuary to refugees and people seeking asylum arriving or living in Bristol and surrounding areas.

For the past year I've been volunteering weekly at the football sessions run by ABC. It's been something really special to be a part of where I've made friends and shared my love of the game. People who come along have said being a part of the football groups have helped combat loneliness and boredom and made it easier to deal with the stress and uncertainty that comes with going through the asylum system.

About Aid Box Community:

ABC’s Welcome hub and Free shop is open 5 days a week and is a place that refugees and people seeking asylum can use to choose the essential items they need: clothes, toiletries, household items, etc. Importantly, the Free shop provides choice, just like any other shop, so that people can reflect their identity and feel a sense of self-worth, dignity and pride.  

They also offer refugees and people seeking asylum multiple opportunities for social interactions through volunteering opportunities and an activity program that aims at reducing isolation and loneliness, improving service users’ mental and physical well-being and encouraging integration within the local community.

For the past year I've been volunteering weekly at the football sessions run by ABC. It's been something really special to be a part of where I've made friends and enjoyed the beautiful game. People who come along have said getting to be a part of the football groups have helped combat loneliness and boredom and made it easier to deal with the stress and unceratinty that comes with going through the asylum system.