The Bristol City of Sanctuary Transport Fund is a community initiative to fund transport, such as bus or train tickets, for people seeking sanctuary in our city, who would otherwise not be able to access vital services and appointments.

We are very grateful to First Bus who are match funding a generous proportion of your donations.

Destitute asylum seekers have lost all their housing and financial support. They are not allowed to work and cannot return to the country they fled. During this time, people seeking asylum need to travel across the city - to attend crucial appointments with doctors and solicitors, or go to drop-in centres for meals or reach places where they are volunteering. They also need social and moral support to survive the trauma of destitution, loss of home and identity and the pain of being disbelieved.

Alongside this, many of the people who receive the tickets are people who are required to sign at Patchway for immigration reporting. Without our tickets, they would have to walk over 5 miles to get to the station.

Bristol is a big city, and a lot of the important services for people seeking sanctuary are located centrally. Reflecting upon this, the fund has recently been expanded to include vulnerable people; those who are living on the outskirts of the city and who may otherwise find it hard to travel into the centre of Bristol.

Above all, the Transport Fund enables people to access important appointments and support services and helps to combat isolation. These tickets are a vital lifeline for many, and a way to make a real difference to the day-to-day lives of those seeking sanctuary.

Supporting the Fund

All of us have the opportunity to change the day-to-day lives of those seeking sanctuary in Bristol in a really practical way. We welcome donations of any size from individuals, businesses and community groups*

* Please note: In the unlikely event that we raise more money than we can reasonably and efficiently spend on transport, we will put any surplus funds toward our wider work to ensure Bristol is a place of welcome and safety for people seeking sanctuary from war, violence and persecution.