About us

Our story

Upbeat Communities has been supporting those seeking sanctuary since 2005.

The organisation was founded in response to the needs of refugees arriving in the UK and the stories they shared of their lives and their journeys. Through building relationships with those from refugee communities we were able to identify their needs and the best ways to respond.

We believe that making those who are fleeing war, persecution, and conflict feel welcome will give the best possible chance of integration, support and opportunities to rebuild their lives. One of the best resources a refugee can have to help them settle in their new home is a good social network. Friendships and connectedness can help overcome the many challenges faced by those seeking refuge.

With this aim, we want to help connect refugees into community. We want to see strangers become neighbours, so that refugees can thrive as they rebuild their lives.

Our name reflects our vision to see thriving, positive communities where every refugee can contribute and make the most of opportunities. We strive to hear the voice of the people we work with, to better understand the challenges they are facing, and to learn from them how best to address these issues.

We began by giving practical help and support to refugees and asylum seekers, which rapidly grew into projects that built cohesion among the whole community. One of the first major projects was to set up a community café in a multicultural part of the city, providing employment and volunteer opportunities for refugees, with a space for community activities, arts, and family events. From this initial work we developed a range of services, delivered with a number of different partners including Derby City Council, Derby Refugee Advice Centre, The British Red Cross, The Multi-Faith Centre, and Refugee Action. For more information about our current activities see Our Work.

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We are a registered charity  1162856 and a social enterprise company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 05648977.

Why we welcome refugees

Upbeat Communities’ Christian ethos is the motivation for all our work. It is the reason why we do what we do. It is to work together to demonstrate God’s love to refugees who have been displaced by war, conflict or persecution. We are inspired by the message, life and example of Jesus through which God’s unconditional love for all people is expressed, regardless of their race, disability, gender, age, religious belief or sexual orientation.

Our ethos is rooted in faith in Jesus Christ which compels us to love our neighbours as ourselves. It is through relationships, with each other and those whom we seek to serve, that we practice and demonstrate our ethos. We seek to live out Jesus’ command to “welcome the stranger” by building mutually enriching relationships with those who are seeking sanctuary in our country.

Upbeat Communities works with and supports people whatever their faith, religion or beliefs. We believe in working together with others and have developed good partnerships with voluntary groups, faith groups, statutory agencies and local government.

We are signatories to the Faithworks Charter of best practice for groups committed to excellence in community work and service provision in the UK.

Our ethos is also expressed through our organisational values:

We work to WELCOME

We want to offer friendship, hospitality and acceptance to all those we meet.

We create COMMUNITY

Our desire is to see genuine belonging and family established between those seeking sanctuary and local people, so that local communities might be diverse and inclusive.

We are inspired to act with INTEGRITY

In knowing the unconditional positive value placed on each of us, we want to live and work with honesty, humility, and transparency, and by honouring others.

We exist to EMPOWER

Our hope is every person we engage with recognises and embraces their potential, and is encouraged and equipped to achieve it.

We are committed to CREATIVITY

We seek to pioneer creative and innovative responses to the needs of those we work with, reflecting the unique creativity we each possess.

We run on RELATIONSHIPS

We are people-centred and are dedicated to loving and caring for each other with dignity, equality, respect, openness and trust.

We are proud to be PROFESSIONAL

We give our best to all we do, and are committed to finding ways we can continually improve as an organisation.

We have COMPASSION at our core

At the heart of everything we do is the desire for compassion, kindness, and warmth to be extended to all those we work with.

Photo credits

Photos on this website include images taken by:

Farhad Berahman, Katie Garner, Sahar, Steve Fogg, M. A. Sheida, and Clive Mear.