Yesterday I arrived in Bradford, and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I’d been able to pay for my coach ticket, survived the five-hour journey and virtually made it to the end of my challenge – today is the last day. Until Monday I’m staying with Tim’s family, so I no longer have to worry about whether I’ve got enough food to last the week, or how I’m going to have to cope with any unanticipated problems.
But staying with others also brings its own problems – earlier this week I attempted to make hot cross buns to bring up as a gift. They weren’t a huge success, coming out stodgy and slightly better done that I’d planned. I brought them anyway, not wanting to see them go to waste, and Tim’s Mum was kind enough to thank me for them, but now that I’m almost dependent on their hospitality, I feel I should have brought a proper token of my appreciation.
It reminds me of the destitution challenge set by the Arimathea Trust, which works with asylum seekers in Nottingham, and Church Action on Poverty. Here people have to live on only £2.50 and a basic food parcel, which is what failed asylum seekers (including those that are unable to return to their own country because it is unsafe), all government support having been cut, might get if they were lucky enough to be helped out by one of the charities that supports destitute asylum seekers. These people are effectively “air-brushed” out of existence, having no legal identity in the UK and no way of returning home. A best case scenario for these “living ghosts” is being given hospitality by someone in the refugee or wider community. Yet for most people, accepting hospitality with no way of being able to return it is very uncomfortable – certainly one of the hardest things I’ve found has been not being able to return favours when people have bought me a drink or given me food. The challenge has been taken by “honest cop” Lisa, who has blogged about her experience on Facebook - see what you think (though you need to be signed in to Facebook). Also check out the Still human still here campaign (no need to be on Facebook for this one).
