Building a movement for wellbeing with Bristol's refugee sector

Supporting the people who support those seeking sanctuary.

The first Asylum Seeker and Refugee Wellbeing Conference at UWE Bristol in January 2023 began as a modest research event linked to Dr Emily LeRoux‑Rutledge’s work. But the moment more than a hundred practitioners, NHS clinicians, volunteers and academics gathered in the same lecture theatre, it became clear that something bigger was happening.

This was the first time the entire wellbeing sector supporting asylum seekers and refugees in and around Bristol had met in person. People described feeling seen, connected and re‑energised.

What began as a small meeting has since grown into an annual citywide conference, a lived‑experience peer‑support network and a model for how research can transform practice.

Illustration of Bristol's refugee community

The problem

Across Bristol, practitioners were seeing a type of distress that didn’t fit existing mental‑health categories. Many refugees and asylum seekers were struggling not only with past trauma, but with the emotional burden of watching violent conflict continue in the countries they or their families came from.

Dr LeRoux‑Rutledge’s research named this Remote Conflict Stress (RCS): the heightened fear, worry or grief caused by ongoing conflict in a place of origin, made sharper by constant exposure through family networks, social media and news feeds. Practitioners often felt ill‑equipped to support people experiencing this persistent, identity‑linked form of stress.

Alongside this was a quieter, but equally significant issue. Organisations across the refugee‑support sector were struggling to recruit and retain staff and volunteers with lived experience of the asylum system.

Those who did enter the workforce often felt alone in their roles, especially in smaller organisations. Some found UK job interviews unsettling or re‑traumatising, because the format echoed the interrogative dynamics of their asylum interviews. Burnout was high across the sector, and there were very few opportunities for staff to reflect or connect in meaningful ways.

The initiative

Emily’s starting point was simple: she listened. Rather than arriving with a preconceived research agenda, she went to Bristol’s Asylum Seeker and Refugee Wellbeing Forum and asked organisations what they needed from research. That willingness to listen built trust in a sector that is often pressed for time and wary of being over‑researched. Those conversations led to work on Remote Conflict Stress, a project strengthening partnerships between UWE Bristol and local organisations, and eventually to a collaborative study exploring the barriers faced by people with lived experience seeking work in the sector.

From these discussions came the idea for a wellbeing conference. The first event drew 109 delegates; the second, brought together 162 people from 43 organisations across the NHS, voluntary sector, universities and local government. Sessions ranged from trauma and wellbeing models to lived‑experience leadership, policy tensions, arts‑based wellbeing and the impact of bureaucracy. Importantly, the conference valued frontline knowledge as much as academic research, creating a space where people from different roles could think together about the challenges they rarely had time to explore. Many described the event as the only point in the year when the entire sector stood side by side.

One of the strongest messages emerging from the lived‑experience leadership research was that people with lived experience often felt isolated in their roles. In response, Emily and BRASP partners created a new peer‑support network, funded by UWE Bristol's Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) scheme and co‑led by the only two Bristol organisations run by people with lived experience.

Trauma Foundation South West provides trauma‑informed facilitation. What began as a pilot has now been adopted and funded directly by the sector.

93^%

of delegates said they would recommend Trauma Foundation South West. (2024)

97^%

of delegates said they would attend the conference again. (2024)

97^%

of delegates said they wanted the conference to run annually. (2024)

The impact

The conference has quickly become a cornerstone of Bristol’s refugee‑support landscape. It has grown each year, broadening conversations and sparking collaborations that might never otherwise occur. Practitioners frequently describe it as sustaining them through emotionally demanding work. One delegate later invited the Bristol Refugee Artists Collective to run therapeutic workshops after first encountering them at the conference. Others have used insights from the lived‑experience research to rethink recruitment and training, especially around the emotional risks posed by interview‑based hiring.

Feedback reflects the conference’s influence. Delegates often describe the conference as uplifting, hopeful and grounding. Others said it has helped them feel less alone and more connected to peers across the sector, something crucial to build retention in the sector.

"One of the most worthwhile events I’ve attended in twenty‑six years."

Long-time campaigner

Long-time campaigner

What's next?

The peer‑support network will continue with sector‑led funding, while new papers on Remote Conflict Stress and interview‑stage trauma move toward publication.

Future conferences will deepen lived‑experience leadership and cross‑sector collaboration, ensuring that research, frontline insight and community knowledge continue to strengthen one another.

As the initiative grows, it shows how collaborative research can spark long‑term change – beginning with a single room of people ready to work together.

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