Walk With Us

Walk With Us are monthly events that keep our walking community connected all year round.

One person with lived experience of detention wrote ‘I am not allowed to work and the days seem very lonely and long. Going on the walks mean the walking days are better.'

Walks in 2025

  • This walk along the Wey Navigation takes us through Shalford and up in the hills for marvellous views. Thank you to Liz Nissan for this walk! We love it when local communities show us welcome and we are delighted that the New House Art Space in Guildford, thanks to Teresa Pilgrim, has a café where we are welcome to gather before the walk starts. We'll have people at the station to guide you to the Cafe and if anyone can't arrive early, we'll meet people arriving at the station at 11am on our way.

    Please bring lunch and plenty of water.

    We also ask that you do not bring dogs (other than guide dogs), as we wish to make the walk accessible for all.

    Here is the link to book

  • This walk will be held jointly with the Mid Sussex Ramblers.

    We will meet at Hassocks Railway station at 10 am to leave at 10:30am.

    Route: our 9 mile (14.5 km) walk covers a beautiful area of the South Downs.

    From the railway we will walk up towards Wolstonbury Hill. This should provide views over the Weald and behind us the coast to the south. Wolstonbury Hill, protected by the National Trust is a Bronze Age enclosure or camp.

    You will be pleased to hear that the rest of the walk is downhill and mainly across farmland in and around pictureque Hurstepierpoint. We walk through the Danny Estate and passing Hauteboyes another historical home on our way back.

    We also ask that you do not bring dogs (other than guide dogs), as we wish to make the walk accessible for all.

    Here is the link to book

    The solidarity walk will be held in Austria organised by Helga Ramsey-Kurz.

  • A mostly level and varied walk beginning with a stroll through the town and into the woods, leading to Stansted House, a small stately home set in fine parkland. We’ll stop at either the Garden Centre café or Pavilion tearoom for refreshments and loos (approx. 3.5 miles in).

    There's a possibility the historic chapel at Stansted House may be open to visitors.

    We return via a different route—across fields and through Westbourne, where there’s an attractive historic church (usually open until 3pm, but we may be able to extend access if people would like to see inside).

    For those who’d like to continue, there’s the option of a short 0.25-mile extension to visit Emsworth Harbour—ideal for an ice cream or a cup of tea by the water.

    We ask that you do not bring dogs (other than guide dogs), as we wish to make the walk accessible for all.

    We also ask that you do not bring dogs (other than guide dogs), as we wish to make the walk accessible for all.

    Click here for the link to book

Please contact refugeetales@gdwg.org.uk to join.

There is no cost for those who have experienced detention to join the walks but from those who are able to support our work, we ask for a donation of £5 per walk.

Walk With Us is open to people who have experienced detention, GDWG visitors, Refugee Tales walkers and anyone else who would like to join us! If you are interested in being a regular part of this walking community please email: lara@gdwg.org.uk

Volunteer with us

We seek volunteers to help with the practical running of our summer walks including baking, driving, support crew and more. We welcome help with publicity and fundraising. Please walk with us and become a Walk Ambassador by raising funds online (email refugeetales@gdwg.org.uk  to find out more.) Thank you.

If you would like to be involved in any way, please email: refugeetales@gdwg.org.uk

Artwork by Matthias Ramsey from the Refugee Tales Walk 2024

Inspired By

If you h​ave been inspired by Refugee Tales and would like to organise your own walk or event we have an online resource pack that will provide you with all the information you need. In this pack we have shared practical insights gleaned from our experience of organising Refugee Tales walks and events. We have also included guidelines and recommended text for you to use when advertising or presenting your walk or event.

To request a resource pack please email refugeetales@gdwg.org.uk

Volunteer in your local area

KENT

Kent Refugee Action Network – Independent charity supporting young unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugees and partner in the Refugee Tales. Canterbury.
Samphire – supporting and advocating for ex-detainees across the UK.
Kent Refugee Help – – supporting immigration detainees held in Her Majesty’s Prisons Maidstone, Wormwood Scrubs, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Elmley..
Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees - a charity formed in 2017 originally to help support refugees from Syria resettling in the Sevenoaks district, as part what is now the UK Government's global UK Resettlement Scheme. They are also helping refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine to resettle in the area. 

SUSSEX

Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group. Visitors group for people detained under immigration powers in Brook House and Tinsley House IRCs by Gatwick Airport. Crawley.
Refugees Welcome Crawley (RWC) supports refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants of diverse nationalities in the Crawley area.
Migrant English Project – English lessons, advice and support for asylum seekers. Brighton.
Voices in Exile – Casework and social activities for migrants. Brighton.

SURREY

Refugee Action Kingston – Advice and support for refugees and asylum seekers. Kingston.
Refugee and Migrant Network Sutton – friendship, advice and English classes for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Sutton.

NORTH EAST

Justice First - Justice First offers specialist legal advice, practical and emotional support, community activities, volunteer befrienders, and deliver refugee awareness training, presentations, and talks. They are a specialist service in the North East that works closely with - and refers people to - other supportive organisations as appropriate.

WALES

Refugee Tales Cymru - Cyd-gerdded a rhannu streaeon tan ddaw carchar an gyfnod di-bendraw i ben yn y Deurnas Gyfunol. A group that walks and organises events in Wales in solidarity with Refugee Tales.

NATIONWIDE

AVID – The Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees is a small, national charity that supports volunteer visitors to immigration detainees, wherever they are held. They have 20 member groups that visit in every detention centre in the UK, and some prisons.
Red Cross Refugee Support – Range of support services for asylum seekers and refugees. Nationwide.
Volunteering Matters – National volunteering organisation who can provide details of further volunteering opportunities in your local area. Nationwide.

Asylum Welcome Oxfordshire - Asylum Welcome offers information, advice and practical support to asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants living in Oxfordshire.