Stories
Real People, Real Stories: Enrichment Trip to the Yorkshire Dales
Welcome to our special feature on DARE's enrichment trip to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. This adventure was more than just a journey through picturesque landscapes; it was an opportunity for the refugees and asylum seekers we support to experience the joy, peace, and community spirit that nature brings.
About the Trip
In our ongoing efforts to provide holistic support and enrich the lives of those we serve, DARE organised a memorable trip to the Yorkshire Dales. Participants had the chance to explore the stunning scenery, engage in fun activities, and build lasting connections with one another.
Real Stories from Real People
Meet some of the incredible individuals who joined us on this journey. Through their stories, you'll get a glimpse into their lives, the challenges they face, and the joy they found in this shared experience.
Welcome to our special feature on DARE's enrichment trip to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. This adventure was more than just a journey through picturesque landscapes; it was an opportunity for the refugees and asylum seekers we support to experience the joy, peace, and community spirit that nature brings.
About the Trip
In our ongoing efforts to provide holistic support and enrich the lives of those we serve, DARE organised a memorable trip to the Yorkshire Dales. Participants had the chance to explore the stunning scenery, engage in fun activities, and build lasting connections with one another.
Real Stories from Real People
Meet some of the incredible individuals who joined us on this journey. Through their stories, you'll get a glimpse into their lives, the challenges they face, and the joy they found in this shared experience.
The Smells of the Countryside
My name is Eman Al Hammadi. I was born in the seaport of Aden on the southern coast of Yemen. When I was 10 my family moved to the north, only for me to move back to Aden with my husband in 1994. I’ve always lived in cities, but I loved travelling through the countryside. Yemen is a beautiful country. Near Aden you get the sea and the mountains; the centre is very green and the north is desert and mountains. We miss the mountains – you don’t see rocky mountains in the UK and we miss the smell of the sea. I love to smell the sea.
Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, has been locked in a civil war that has killed nearly 10,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. According to the UN at least 8.4 million people are at risk of starvation and 22.2 million people - 75% of the population - in need of humanitarian assistance. Severe acute malnutrition is threatening the lives of almost 400,000 children under the age of five. Yemen's health system has all but collapsed, while the world's largest cholera outbreak has killed thousands. Life in Aden is at a standstill, waiting in fearful anticipation of more fighting.
In Yemen, I worked for the United Nations for their International Organisation for Migration. I supported victims of trafficking and stranded migrants. We heard their stories but I never thought I would be one of them. We left Yemen because it was no longer a stable country. The war had already been going on for three years. By then there were 60 million weapons in Yemen even though the population was only 23 million. Every single person seemed to have a weapon. It was a very dangerous and violent environment and we had three children – including two teenagers. I’ve been in the UK since 2013.
Here in the Dales it is very peaceful, you can smell the grass and the trees. You can see the touch of the farmers everywhere, thanks to their hard work. When you meet the farmers you find they are so attached to the land.
I’ve been to Settle and Ingleton. I’ve helped with tree planting and seen the red squirrels at Snaizeholme. It’s a shame more people from my community don’t come here. You don’t know your host community if you don’t go and see them – British life is not just about the cities – we should see their real lives, their villages. It’s not easy to approach people in a city. But here, once they get to know you, they never forget you.
My impressions of the area: I love the smell; and the fresh air; and it’s quiet, away from the noise. Once we visited a farm and the farmer opened the hay store. I took a deep breath and it was so nice - I still remember that smell. And the colours – it is green everywhere and the sheep are splashes of white on the green. When the sun shines you’ll get the blue sky and the green and the white sheep. It’s amazing. It’s a gift.
I love Ingleton. I love the sound of the river - and the houses are not red brick they are made of stone – it’s the same in my country. When I go to bed I can hear the thump of water pumps and that reminds me I’m in a village – same as Yemen. And in the early morning you hear the cock crowing – that’s the same the world over
When I go back to Blackburn I always remember the green, and the sheep - it remains in my mind long after I come home. Whenever I come back here the first thing I always think of is, “oh, I am going to see green again.”
My name is Eman Al Hammadi. I was born in the seaport of Aden on the southern coast of Yemen. When I was 10 my family moved to the north, only for me to move back to Aden with my husband in 1994. I’ve always lived in cities, but I loved travelling through the countryside. Yemen is a beautiful country. Near Aden you get the sea and the mountains; the centre is very green and the north is desert and mountains. We miss the mountains – you don’t see rocky mountains in the UK and we miss the smell of the sea. I love to smell the sea.
Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, has been locked in a civil war that has killed nearly 10,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. According to the UN at least 8.4 million people are at risk of starvation and 22.2 million people - 75% of the population - in need of humanitarian assistance. Severe acute malnutrition is threatening the lives of almost 400,000 children under the age of five. Yemen's health system has all but collapsed, while the world's largest cholera outbreak has killed thousands. Life in Aden is at a standstill, waiting in fearful anticipation of more fighting.
In Yemen, I worked for the United Nations for their International Organisation for Migration. I supported victims of trafficking and stranded migrants. We heard their stories but I never thought I would be one of them. We left Yemen because it was no longer a stable country. The war had already been going on for three years. By then there were 60 million weapons in Yemen even though the population was only 23 million. Every single person seemed to have a weapon. It was a very dangerous and violent environment and we had three children – including two teenagers. I’ve been in the UK since 2013.
Here in the Dales it is very peaceful, you can smell the grass and the trees. You can see the touch of the farmers everywhere, thanks to their hard work. When you meet the farmers you find they are so attached to the land.
I’ve been to Settle and Ingleton. I’ve helped with tree planting and seen the red squirrels at Snaizeholme. It’s a shame more people from my community don’t come here. You don’t know your host community if you don’t go and see them – British life is not just about the cities – we should see their real lives, their villages. It’s not easy to approach people in a city. But here, once they get to know you, they never forget you.
My impressions of the area: I love the smell; and the fresh air; and it’s quiet, away from the noise. Once we visited a farm and the farmer opened the hay store. I took a deep breath and it was so nice - I still remember that smell. And the colours – it is green everywhere and the sheep are splashes of white on the green. When the sun shines you’ll get the blue sky and the green and the white sheep. It’s amazing. It’s a gift.
I love Ingleton. I love the sound of the river - and the houses are not red brick they are made of stone – it’s the same in my country. When I go to bed I can hear the thump of water pumps and that reminds me I’m in a village – same as Yemen. And in the early morning you hear the cock crowing – that’s the same the world over
When I go back to Blackburn I always remember the green, and the sheep - it remains in my mind long after I come home. Whenever I come back here the first thing I always think of is, “oh, I am going to see green again.”
Taking a Brew
John East comes from Darwen in East Lancashire. He left school at the age of 15 and went to work first for the Lancashire Evening Post, as an office boy, and then for a variety of local newspapers in Chorley, Lancaster, Burnley, and in the North West. He worked his way up until he was earmarked to run the ‘Newspapers in Education’ scheme, visiting schools and using newspapers as a curriculum tool. He received the Newspaper Society Presidents Award for this work in the North West and UK in 1993.
John was involved in the Scouts throughout his life. After “retiring” he became chairman of the Friends of Darwen Cemetery, Friends of Darwen Library, and was elected a Darwen Town Councillor. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Darwen, a Trustee of Blackburn YMCA, and is now heavily involved as a trustee of Darwen Heritage Centre. He is a Church Secretary, member, elder, and lay preacher in the United Reform Church that he’s been part of since he was a teenager. A busy man, you might think, but never too busy to offer a helping hand.
In 1999, John helped to set up a drop in centre for refugees and asylum seekers in Darwen when first Iranian, and later Eastern European, asylum seekers came to the Church. This work moved to Blackburn Wesley Hall and became the ARC (Asylum Refugee Community) – an ecumenical initiative run by Wesley Hall and Blackburn Cathedral. He now coordinates DARE (Darwen Asylum Refugees Enterprise) supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Darwen, running a drop in centre, English classes, health checks, sign posting and trips out – like visiting the Yorkshire Dales to walk, plant trees, build dry stone walls, restore quarries, and take part in hay making. It has also had an impact on the local community, as relations develop and a greater understanding of the issues over conflict areas of the world ensures. Through this work, John has brought hundreds of people out into the Dales through PaD.
A ‘brew’ is colloquially used for taking a cup of tea. It’s a gesture to welcome to a stranger, a touching act that soothes awkward feelings. John knows how asylum seekers feel when they first come into the country and are awaiting a decision from the Home Office. Those worst affected are refused asylum seekers, marginalised and punished by the system that makes them feel worthless. With no right to work and at the mercy of the authority, most asylum seekers go through this process which can take an average of seven years before being granted leave to remain. When the status eventually comes, the recipient is already numb, inhibited and unresponsive after waiting so long. Taking a ‘brew’ saved many lives in Lancashire and helped many of those suffering to come out of their discomfort zone. As John says, “a day in the Dales is worth a week on sleeping pills and anti-depressive medication.”
John East comes from Darwen in East Lancashire. He left school at the age of 15 and went to work first for the Lancashire Evening Post, as an office boy, and then for a variety of local newspapers in Chorley, Lancaster, Burnley, and in the North West. He worked his way up until he was earmarked to run the ‘Newspapers in Education’ scheme, visiting schools and using newspapers as a curriculum tool. He received the Newspaper Society Presidents Award for this work in the North West and UK in 1993.
John was involved in the Scouts throughout his life. After “retiring” he became chairman of the Friends of Darwen Cemetery, Friends of Darwen Library, and was elected a Darwen Town Councillor. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Darwen, a Trustee of Blackburn YMCA, and is now heavily involved as a trustee of Darwen Heritage Centre. He is a Church Secretary, member, elder, and lay preacher in the United Reform Church that he’s been part of since he was a teenager. A busy man, you might think, but never too busy to offer a helping hand.
In 1999, John helped to set up a drop in centre for refugees and asylum seekers in Darwen when first Iranian, and later Eastern European, asylum seekers came to the Church. This work moved to Blackburn Wesley Hall and became the ARC (Asylum Refugee Community) – an ecumenical initiative run by Wesley Hall and Blackburn Cathedral. He now coordinates DARE (Darwen Asylum Refugees Enterprise) supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Darwen, running a drop in centre, English classes, health checks, sign posting and trips out – like visiting the Yorkshire Dales to walk, plant trees, build dry stone walls, restore quarries, and take part in hay making. It has also had an impact on the local community, as relations develop and a greater understanding of the issues over conflict areas of the world ensures. Through this work, John has brought hundreds of people out into the Dales through PaD.
A ‘brew’ is colloquially used for taking a cup of tea. It’s a gesture to welcome to a stranger, a touching act that soothes awkward feelings. John knows how asylum seekers feel when they first come into the country and are awaiting a decision from the Home Office. Those worst affected are refused asylum seekers, marginalised and punished by the system that makes them feel worthless. With no right to work and at the mercy of the authority, most asylum seekers go through this process which can take an average of seven years before being granted leave to remain. When the status eventually comes, the recipient is already numb, inhibited and unresponsive after waiting so long. Taking a ‘brew’ saved many lives in Lancashire and helped many of those suffering to come out of their discomfort zone. As John says, “a day in the Dales is worth a week on sleeping pills and anti-depressive medication.”
I was worth a fortune
My name is Tinta Ali. I am from the Ivory Coast – it used to be the best country in the whole of West Africa – it was the economic powerhouse of the region growing coffee and cocoa. My dad started his own business importing and exporting cocoa and Peugeot cars, and by 1998 it employed 200 people. By 2002 it was valued at several million dollars. Then chaos and political turmoil arose. The Sassandra region began to experience ethnicity problems. Politicians were telling some people – ‘You are not true Ivorian.’ The South and North were in conflict. Dad was a northerner living in the south and was accused of being a traitor.
A snatch squad arrested him. There were 8 men. I can still remember their faces. They were not the police but army commandos. We gave them $83,000 but still they took him. He was shot three hours later. I was 13 and my life was turned upside down. It had been planned that I’d go to London to study, and then come back and take the keys to the business. Now I was taken by the military and accused of being a traitor. ‘You cannot charge me’, I said – ‘I am 13’. Luckily a French UN unit intervened and I was released. But, because I was the son of a murdered man they thought I would come after them. I became a master of disguises. I escaped because I was smart.
I was granted asylum in 2012 and now live in Blackburn. I have done lots of training and won several awards. Everybody knows me. I’m now at Blackburn College. I volunteer in the office at the Asylum and Refugee Centre and at the weekly Drop-In, and am a refugee champion with Blackburn YMCA New Beginnings project. Despite many challenges I want to support new refugees. I translate for Arabic and French speakers helping them in their case with the Home Office, and spend time talking to students in local schools about life as a refugee in a bid to spread awareness and break down barriers.
My first experience in the Yorkshire Dales was on an archaeological dig. A friend of mine had been an archaeologist and Museum curator in Eritrea, so the PaD team organised for a few of us to spend time with him on a dig alongside a local archaeology group. It was amazing.
Lambing was very good. In Africa we have sheep but they’re totally different. I’ve still got three colours of wool – purple, red and white – in my room in Blackburn. In Africa wool is shorter and very rarely used. I’ve seen a baby lamb being born. I was with my friend Charles from Senegal who had fled Africa. He is a doctor. They asked him, Charles have you ever delivered any babies – and he said “Yes about a thousand. “ He helped deliver a lamb - I nearly fainted – it was emotional. I was born in the city. All part of the journey!
I took part in a Training weekend near Ribblehead where we learnt to read maps and use a compass. Map reading is so complex because the maps are very detailed. The little cross means the church and the altitude is in contour lines. Suddenly I’m reading it. If ever I find myself without any technology I will only need a map and I’ll find my way back home.
Every time I come to this area, I don’t want to go back. It’s up lifting! Very green and nice. To truly integrate you need to visit an area like this. People are generous and intrinsically kind. I’ve learnt a lot. The landscape is totally different from Africa and there’s the cold and the wind. I like the sheep. And I love the haymaking I really wanted to do it. In Africa we don’t make hay. Best day of my life was the day we spent haymaking. I took photos and sent them home. I’d always wondered why farmers made hay – I had not realised they needed to save food for the animals in winter. It was beautiful.
If you want to understand England, you’ve got to go to different regions, and meet different people. Don’t live in England without visiting Yorkshire. So many sheep. Climbing to the top of the Three Peaks. These are the things you can’t miss.
My name is Tinta Ali. I am from the Ivory Coast – it used to be the best country in the whole of West Africa – it was the economic powerhouse of the region growing coffee and cocoa. My dad started his own business importing and exporting cocoa and Peugeot cars, and by 1998 it employed 200 people. By 2002 it was valued at several million dollars. Then chaos and political turmoil arose. The Sassandra region began to experience ethnicity problems. Politicians were telling some people – ‘You are not true Ivorian.’ The South and North were in conflict. Dad was a northerner living in the south and was accused of being a traitor.
A snatch squad arrested him. There were 8 men. I can still remember their faces. They were not the police but army commandos. We gave them $83,000 but still they took him. He was shot three hours later. I was 13 and my life was turned upside down. It had been planned that I’d go to London to study, and then come back and take the keys to the business. Now I was taken by the military and accused of being a traitor. ‘You cannot charge me’, I said – ‘I am 13’. Luckily a French UN unit intervened and I was released. But, because I was the son of a murdered man they thought I would come after them. I became a master of disguises. I escaped because I was smart.
I was granted asylum in 2012 and now live in Blackburn. I have done lots of training and won several awards. Everybody knows me. I’m now at Blackburn College. I volunteer in the office at the Asylum and Refugee Centre and at the weekly Drop-In, and am a refugee champion with Blackburn YMCA New Beginnings project. Despite many challenges I want to support new refugees. I translate for Arabic and French speakers helping them in their case with the Home Office, and spend time talking to students in local schools about life as a refugee in a bid to spread awareness and break down barriers.
My first experience in the Yorkshire Dales was on an archaeological dig. A friend of mine had been an archaeologist and Museum curator in Eritrea, so the PaD team organised for a few of us to spend time with him on a dig alongside a local archaeology group. It was amazing.
Lambing was very good. In Africa we have sheep but they’re totally different. I’ve still got three colours of wool – purple, red and white – in my room in Blackburn. In Africa wool is shorter and very rarely used. I’ve seen a baby lamb being born. I was with my friend Charles from Senegal who had fled Africa. He is a doctor. They asked him, Charles have you ever delivered any babies – and he said “Yes about a thousand. “ He helped deliver a lamb - I nearly fainted – it was emotional. I was born in the city. All part of the journey!
I took part in a Training weekend near Ribblehead where we learnt to read maps and use a compass. Map reading is so complex because the maps are very detailed. The little cross means the church and the altitude is in contour lines. Suddenly I’m reading it. If ever I find myself without any technology I will only need a map and I’ll find my way back home.
Every time I come to this area, I don’t want to go back. It’s up lifting! Very green and nice. To truly integrate you need to visit an area like this. People are generous and intrinsically kind. I’ve learnt a lot. The landscape is totally different from Africa and there’s the cold and the wind. I like the sheep. And I love the haymaking I really wanted to do it. In Africa we don’t make hay. Best day of my life was the day we spent haymaking. I took photos and sent them home. I’d always wondered why farmers made hay – I had not realised they needed to save food for the animals in winter. It was beautiful.
If you want to understand England, you’ve got to go to different regions, and meet different people. Don’t live in England without visiting Yorkshire. So many sheep. Climbing to the top of the Three Peaks. These are the things you can’t miss.
Across the Desert
My name is Filmon. I come from Eritrea where my wife and children still live. I am 32 now. I took a degree in engineering and worked as a surveyor, from 2004 to 2008, and then as a civil engineer from 2011.
I left Eritrea in 2015 because of National Service. In my country, despite claims by officials that conscription would be limited to 18 months, National Service continues to be indefinite, often lasting for decades. Conscripts include boys and girls as young as 16, and the elderly. My people are fleeing a system that amounts to forced labour on a national scale. We are the third-largest number of refugees trying to reach Europe.
I travelled through Eritrea and reached Sudan. From there, I crossed the Sahara Desert in the back of a crowded truck. I stayed in Libya for two months and then crossed the Mediterranean in a boat landing in Italy. I went to Calais and then to England, in a lorry in 2016. Initially I stayed in a hostel in Liverpool, before being moved to Darwen.
In 2017, I received my status to stay in the UK and I’m now doing an engineering course at Bolton University. After working for ten years, I’ve had to start all over again because the British Government doesn’t recognise my qualifications from Eritrea. It is a bit boring for me because I am doing it for the second time around. I feel like I am wasting my time.
My favourite experience with People and the DALES was the training weekend at Broadrake when we learnt about map reading. I’ve really enjoyed coming back to maps: talking about profiles, contours, and pathways. I’ve really missed working with maps. Now I’ve got it again, I am really happy. The visits to Ribblehead Station and Chapel le Dale Church were really fascinating. I didn’t want to leave that place.
My name is Filmon. I come from Eritrea where my wife and children still live. I am 32 now. I took a degree in engineering and worked as a surveyor, from 2004 to 2008, and then as a civil engineer from 2011.
I left Eritrea in 2015 because of National Service. In my country, despite claims by officials that conscription would be limited to 18 months, National Service continues to be indefinite, often lasting for decades. Conscripts include boys and girls as young as 16, and the elderly. My people are fleeing a system that amounts to forced labour on a national scale. We are the third-largest number of refugees trying to reach Europe.
I travelled through Eritrea and reached Sudan. From there, I crossed the Sahara Desert in the back of a crowded truck. I stayed in Libya for two months and then crossed the Mediterranean in a boat landing in Italy. I went to Calais and then to England, in a lorry in 2016. Initially I stayed in a hostel in Liverpool, before being moved to Darwen.
In 2017, I received my status to stay in the UK and I’m now doing an engineering course at Bolton University. After working for ten years, I’ve had to start all over again because the British Government doesn’t recognise my qualifications from Eritrea. It is a bit boring for me because I am doing it for the second time around. I feel like I am wasting my time.
My favourite experience with People and the DALES was the training weekend at Broadrake when we learnt about map reading. I’ve really enjoyed coming back to maps: talking about profiles, contours, and pathways. I’ve really missed working with maps. Now I’ve got it again, I am really happy. The visits to Ribblehead Station and Chapel le Dale Church were really fascinating. I didn’t want to leave that place.
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A Chocolate Bar
My name is Ebrahim Shahdad-Aghdam, originally from Kurdistan in Iran. I am 19 years old. I left my country because of political problems between my people and the Iranian government. My journey to the UK was long and difficult. When I think on that time, it is like a nightmare for me. It was lots of walking across borders, going inside a lorry, and hiding myself, but finally I get to the UK in 2016. I was an asylum seeker for one year, and after that I got my leave to remain for five years. I now live in Blackburn.
Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. The Kurdish people have been caught up in armed conflict since 1919, but the situation got much worse during the Iran–Iraq War (1980 - 1988), and again during the Persian Gulf War (1990 – 91), and more recently the Arab Spring of 2011. Without citizenship Kurds are second class citizens, have few rights and even less opportunities.
At the moment I am a student at Blackburn College. Last year I started entry English, Maths, and ICT and this year I am Level One. Next year I would like to choose an ICT course. I am happy with my life here. I would like to do two things: I want to become an interpreter, as my volunteer job, and become a computer programmer. That is my dream. I am happy because my life is safe and I can follow my dreams.
I really enjoy the trips to the Yorkshire Dales through People and the DALES. My favourite visit was when we stayed at Broadrake and helped the owner to restore the hay meadow. We even made our very own hay bale. Whilst we were out walking I was hungry and tired because I hadn’t slept very well, but still I loved it. Judy gave me a chocolate bar, it helped me to be strong until lunchtime.
My name is Ebrahim Shahdad-Aghdam, originally from Kurdistan in Iran. I am 19 years old. I left my country because of political problems between my people and the Iranian government. My journey to the UK was long and difficult. When I think on that time, it is like a nightmare for me. It was lots of walking across borders, going inside a lorry, and hiding myself, but finally I get to the UK in 2016. I was an asylum seeker for one year, and after that I got my leave to remain for five years. I now live in Blackburn.
Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. The Kurdish people have been caught up in armed conflict since 1919, but the situation got much worse during the Iran–Iraq War (1980 - 1988), and again during the Persian Gulf War (1990 – 91), and more recently the Arab Spring of 2011. Without citizenship Kurds are second class citizens, have few rights and even less opportunities.
At the moment I am a student at Blackburn College. Last year I started entry English, Maths, and ICT and this year I am Level One. Next year I would like to choose an ICT course. I am happy with my life here. I would like to do two things: I want to become an interpreter, as my volunteer job, and become a computer programmer. That is my dream. I am happy because my life is safe and I can follow my dreams.
I really enjoy the trips to the Yorkshire Dales through People and the DALES. My favourite visit was when we stayed at Broadrake and helped the owner to restore the hay meadow. We even made our very own hay bale. Whilst we were out walking I was hungry and tired because I hadn’t slept very well, but still I loved it. Judy gave me a chocolate bar, it helped me to be strong until lunchtime.