Somerset Council is supporting activities across the county during Refugee Week 2026 to celebrate the positive and unique influences that displaced people, including refugees and asylum seekers, have in Somerset’s communities.
This year’s event runs from 15 to 21 June and celebrates the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary, with ‘courage’ as its central theme.
Throughout the week, Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service will be at venues across the county to talk about the support available to refugees and people seeking asylum in Somerset. There will also be information for people to take away.
Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service supports refugees and other displaced people to settle safely in Somerset and begin rebuilding their lives. The team helps people with practical support such as access to services, housing, education, support with employment, and integration into local communities, with the aim of helping families feel safe, welcomed and able to live independently.
Cllr Sarah Wakefield, Lead Member for Adults Services, Housing and Homelessness at Somerset Council, said:
This year’s theme of ‘courage’ refers to those who have been displaced and to those who support them by their many simple, understated acts of kindness, reaching out and supporting, which resonate clearly across Somerset. We have a long history of welcoming and resettling displaced people into our communities and this is something we should view with pride.
Refugee Week offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate not only the courage of refugees who, through no fault of their own, have been forced to leave their homes and to face many unknowns in their journeys, but also the courage of our communities – of our friends and neighbours – and the acts of extraordinary kindness and generosity which make the world of difference to someone who finds themselves in the most difficult of situations.
I would encourage anyone to get involved or just to go along to some of the events taking place during Refugee Week across the county. Many are free of charge and will be fun, inspiring experiences for all ages.
One of the people the Council’s Displaced People Service has supported since 2024 is Abdul, who came to Somerset through the Afghan Resettlement Scheme.
This UK government scheme provides a safe route for vulnerable Afghan people and those who supported UK efforts in Afghanistan to rebuild their lives in the United Kingdom. As of 31 March 2026, there were 142 individuals receiving resettlement support under the Afghan Resettlement Programme in Somerset, which is 0.02% of the total population.
Since arriving, Abdul has made real progress in building a new life in Somerset. He has a job, is learning to drive, and is studying vehicle mechanics at a local college, where he was recently nominated (and then shortlisted) for a national award. Watch Abdul talking about his courageous story with his resettlement worker, Ali, in the following video:
Refugee Week events
- Monday 15 June, 10am to 12pm
Meet Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service team
Taunton Library, Paul Street, Taunton, TA1 3XZ - Tuesday 16 June, 10am to 12pm
Meet Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service team
Yeovil Library, Yeovil, BA20 1PY - Wednesday 17 June, 10am to 12pm
Meet Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service team
Taunton Library, Paul Street, Taunton, TA1 3XZ - Thursday 18 June, 10am to 12pm
Meet Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service team
Bridgwater Arts Centre, 11 to 13 Castle Street, Bridgwater, TA6 3DD - Friday 19 June, 10am to 12pm
Meet Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service team
Glastonbury Library, 1 Orchard Court, The Archers Way, Glastonbury, BA6 9JB - Saturday 20 June, 11am to 4pm
Meet Somerset Council’s Displaced People Service team
Bridgwater Cultural Festival, Cranleigh Gardens, Bridgwater, TA6 5JS
Somerset Council will be promoting these events plus more on it’s social media channels throughout the week.
To find out more about the support, services and community initiatives available to welcome and assist displaced people, including refugees and asylum seekers, in Somerset, visit the Council’s displaced people page.
