Since 2020, we’ve been bringing people seeking asylum and other local residents together through environmental volunteering: planting trees, restoring habitats, cleaning beaches and growing food. What started as a small pilot has grown into a thriving network of volunteers improving communities and the environment across seven UK cities. And now, thanks to National Lottery players, it will continue growing.
We’re delighted to announce that Action Asylum has received £1.6 million from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund, securing three years of funding to expand our work from seven cities to ten, adding Sheffield, Newcastle and Bolton to our existing project network.
Action Asylum Volunteers in Liverpool
Over the next three years, more than 3,000 volunteers will contribute over 50,000 hours to nature recovery and climate resilience across the UK. We’ll be partnering with Wildlife Trusts in every project city, alongside our network of local refugee organisations and green partners. Together, we’ll deliver 120 large-scale Climate Action Events, train 50 Community Climate Champions and run more than 500 regular volunteering sessions.
An exciting new part of the next three years will be our new Skills Exchange Programme, a two-way training partnership between refugee and environmental organisations. For our volunteers, that means gaining practical conservation skills, environmental qualifications and real pathways into green careers. For the environmental sector, it means becoming better equipped to welcome and work alongside people from refugee backgrounds, through refugee awareness, inclusion and trauma-informed practice training delivered by our refugee-sector partners.
This funding builds on what our volunteers and partners have already achieved. An independent evaluation by the University of Nottingham found that Action Asylum makes a real difference to people’s wellbeing, confidence and sense of belonging, while also delivering real environmental impact, such as the 25,500 trees we’ve already planted. As one Action Asylum volunteer in Leeds said: “I attended the tree planting last year, and now it’s amazing to see those trees we planted. I always go and watch them. That’s why I attended this year, because I’ve seen the differences it makes.”
Action Asylum volunteers in Coventry
That sense of pride and lasting connection to place is what drives our project. As our Chair Lord Randall said, integration isn’t simply about physical presence. It’s about participation, belonging and recognition. When people are denied the right to work, volunteering is often the only route to regain purpose. And when people from all backgrounds work side by side planting trees or clearing parks, barriers come down and communities grow stronger.
“For the people we support, this funding means belonging, purpose and the chance to play an active role in something that genuinely benefits their community. This funding means we can do what we know works, bringing people together in nature, on a scale we’ve never been able to before. For people seeking asylum, who often have many barriers to inclusion, being part of nature recovery and climate resilience isn’t just about volunteering. When people who are often excluded get to restore habitats and build climate resilience, everyone benefits. We’ve seen first-hand how working alongside others in nature can transform someone’s confidence and sense of self, and we’re incredibly excited about what the next three years will mean for the people and places involved.” – Emma Leaper, Project Director
At a time when the national conversation about asylum can feel divisive, Action Asylum offers something hopeful: people coming together to care for the places they share.
This funding is made possible thanks to National Lottery players, with support from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. And finally, a huge thank you to all of our volunteers and the amazing organisations we will be working with over the next three years.
Do you want to be part of our movement? You can volunteer with your local Action Asylum project by getting in touch here, you can follow us on Instagram to stay up to date.
