Refugees Rock is a free climbing club for asylum seekers and refugees, started through a partnership between The Climbing Hangar, Action Asylum and The British Red Cross in 2021.

Refugee Week always gives us pause to reflect. This year feels particularly pertinent, celebrating the theme of Community as a Superpower. It certainly feels that way to us.

This year Refugees Rock turned four. It's amazing to think back to that first small group in Liverpool and now look at the progress – groups across the UK, charity status, over 100 volunteers and partners and more than 500 participants finding more joy, greater wellbeing and genuine belonging through climbing, every year.

Why This Matters

Refugees Rock is a refuge. It's a space to let troubles melt away and be in the moment. A space for peace, in every sense. People seeking sanctuary face uncertainty long after they reach the UK. With no permission to work and very limited financial support, poverty blocks access to opportunities. Even those who receive permission to remain face long waiting lists for housing, low income and language barriers that make it difficult to rebuild their lives. Loneliness and discrimination can contribute to poor mental health.

Our project supports wellbeing and cohesion, offering a vital outlet for people experiencing trauma, isolation, and poverty. As one participant shared: "In the hotel, all I think of is the future, and what will happen to my asylum application. After joining Refugees Rock, I had the opportunity to make new friends."

And that's the power of climbing. It transcends boundaries, languages, culture, bringing people together around a shared experience where there's no winner or loser, where we can all support and celebrate one another's success. It's an incredible catalyst for friendship and genuine community.

And although it's not always an easy undertaking – we're juggling time, money and very often a disruptive environment that makes it difficult for people to participate – the camaraderie, the laughter – it makes it all worthwhile.

One of our Trustees and long-time participants summed it up beautifully at our birthday celebrations: "When you come here you can stand against all of your problems. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just climb."

That's why it matters.

Looking Forward

This Refugee Week, now we have charity status, for the first time we can look forward at what we want to achieve. From autumn this year we'll be back in growth mode, onboarding new walls and charities across the country. The Climbing Hangar's new walls in Southampton and Bristol are high on the list, but we already have a waiting list including Glasgow, Birmingham, Inverness, Stockton-on-Tees, London and Aberystwyth.

Our plans are ambitious but achievable:

Expand to 30 groups by the end of 2026 – bringing Refugees Rock to major cities across the UK. Our mission is to have a Refugees Rock group at every wall in the UK by 2030.

Create a network of safe walls – so every time someone is uprooted they can find their safe wall nearby where they know that they will be welcomed, that there is a place of safety and joy for them, where they already have friends with shared interests.

Support our volunteers – we're working on training pathways to improve knowledge of specific safeguarding, and working with people seeking sanctuary, and developing opportunities around mental health and wellbeing skills, fundraising and content creation to propel us forward as an organisation.

Develop skills and opportunities through climbing and community – including our own routes to coaching, setting, and outdoor activity leadership so participants can build confidence and skills directly through Refugees Rock. We're also seeking partnerships with organisations that can offer training and opportunities in other sectors. Our sessions are perfect spaces to facilitate introductions and build relationships that open doors.

Create centralised events and the Refugees Rock League – bringing groups together for competitions, outdoor climbing and socials. The Refugees Rock League will be our flagship annual event celebrating community and achievement.

Build a coalition for change – we hope to create a network of charities and projects using climbing for good, so we can learn from one another, support one another and collaborate to create opportunities and spread the joyfulness, wellbeing and support that climbing has delivered for us and our participants.

Our ideal scenario is that every Refugees Rock group is led by someone who has been a participant, working with local climbing enthusiasts to deliver truly community-led groups.

Help Us Make It Happen

Our aspirations are huge, but our hearts are huger-still, and seeing how the camaraderie and fun at every session makes it so worthwhile. Until this year, we've run entirely without budget – a testament to our partners' generosity and our volunteers' dedication, with climbing walls providing free facilities and incredible people giving up their time and skills.

But to achieve these goals, we need your support. Every donation directly funds transport to help people attend sessions, our ability to build valuable partnerships and raise awareness, forthcoming volunteer training, and the coordination needed to support groups nationwide.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our journey so far, and if you would like to be involved or you can offer donations or financial support to continue the adventure, head over to refugeesrock.org to learn more and start a conversation.

The climbing community has always been about raising each other up. Help us reach further to create spaces without judgment, without boundaries, where we can all come together around our shared experience and "just climb”.