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05 Jun 2025
Volunteers' Week: Meet Alex
From the 2nd to the 6th of June, we're joining #VolunteersWeek2025 which means across our online platforms we're celebrating our volunteers and all they do helping us support refugees and people seeking safety in Devon - in all honesty, we couldn't do it without them!
We’ve interviewed a handful of our volunteers from across a range of projects at Refugee Support Devon. They’ve shared their background, what motivates them to volunteer and why others should too!
Meet Alex.
Alex has been a volunteer with Refugee Support Devon for 10 years and is a vital part of our drop in support service and immigration advice clinic.
Q: Tell us your story. Why do you volunteer and choose to give your time to Refugee Support Devon?
I’m lucky enough to be able to work 4 days a week and so I volunteer on my day off. When I returned to my home town of Exeter (and my young boys both started school), I looked for opportunities to put my passion for solidarity in human rights into practice. At first I supported the Women’s Group with computer classes, then moved onto the Drop -In. It wasn’t long after this Refugee Support Devon took the bold decision to become a registered organisation to provide legal immigration and asylum advice. With my background in legal investigations, I leapt at the opportunity to become an accredited adviser. I’ve been providing advice for about 7 years now, and absolutely love it.
Q: What’s your favourite part about volunteering with us?
Being able to make a real difference to the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in my community. It’s hugely rewarding to make a successful application and see the knock on effects. For example I helped a client to bring his wife to the UK, and then a few years down the line got to see them with their young baby.
Q: In your words, why is Refugee Support Devon’s work so important?
There's sadly too much misinformed and dangerous rhetoric about refugees and asylum seekers in the media and harmful government policies. It’s against this backdrop that Refugee Support Devon’s work becomes more important every day. Bringing lasting solidarity to Exeter and Devon’s refugee related community, and spreading understanding and opportunities for the wider community to become engaged too.
Q: What’s your message to refugees and people seeking asylum in Devon?
Welcome :)
Q: In your opinion, why should people volunteer?
Everyone has something to give, and everyone will be enriched by ‘giving back’.
