Aid Box Community: A bigger welcome inside the new Bristol Hub
On a cold day in Bristol, the difference between waiting outside and being invited in matters. That’s why Aid Box Community’s new, larger Hub is more than just a practical space. It is somewhere warm, safe and familiar, where the charity’s service users can meet others and feel part of a community.
Founded in 2015, Aid Box Community (ABC) offers support, supplies and sanctuary to refugees and asylum seekers in Bristol. Its work begins with the essentials – people can collect clothing, toiletries and other household items at no cost, but its purpose reaches far beyond material aid. Open five days a week, the charity’s Hub also offers a place to pause, talk and socialise, supported by volunteers who understand that a welcome is as important as the items on the shelves.
Its Activity Groups and Connections befriending programmes help reduce isolation, improve wellbeing and create opportunities for physical activity, friendship and skill sharing. For some service users, volunteering with ABC also becomes a route into greater independence and involvement in local life.
Originally based on Cheltenham Road, ABC needed more room as demand for its services grew – not only for stock, staff and volunteers, but for the people who rely on the Hub each week. In March 2025 the charity applied for a £3,000 charitable grant from SMV to support with the costs of moving to a larger premises.
By September 2025, the move was complete. Over 16 weeks, with the help of volunteers and service users, a parish hall on the edge of St Andrew’s Park was transformed into a fully-functioning Hub: a free shop, sorting room, welcome area, three offices, a meeting room, a multi-faith room and a dedicated community room. Service users helped shape the space themselves, getting involved in modelling the layout, painting and decorating. In doing so, they helped create a Hub that did not simply serve the community, but reflected it.
The new ABC Hub opened to immediate demand. The larger space means more people can shop at once, with greater privacy, more time and less pressure. Instead of waiting outside, visitors can now wait indoors in the welcome area with a cup of tea.
By establishing itself in a larger premises, ABC has been able to keep meeting urgent practical needs while offering something more enduring: dignity, connection and a stronger sense of belonging. Over the past year, the charity has seen over 12,000 visits to the Hub and free shop, a 25% increase on the year before.
The community room, separate from the free shop, is a significant addition. It has become the location for English conversation classes, activity groups, community events and drop-in mornings. Local residents and partners are also able to use the room, strengthening the Hub’s role as a bridge between communities.
The drop-in is an equally important development. For people living in hotels on limited income, many indoor social spaces across the city are out of reach. ABC’s drop-in offers a freely-accessible, warm and welcoming space where they can ask questions, play games, talk to volunteers, find companionship or simply take time for themselves.
The space has proved so valuable that activity is growing all the time. There is now a drop-in every weekday morning, and service users have access to a desktop computer with internet and a television, while volunteers are always on hand to signpost them to other services if they need help. The charity provides a programme of classes for men and women’s groups, including art and a range of sports, including netball, tennis, swimming and football.
For the refugees and asylum seekers who walk through the Hub’s doors, the impact is felt in everyday moments, such as choosing clothes that they might not otherwise be able to buy, enjoying a chat over a cup of tea and having a kickaround at the local sports centre. In these interactions, the bigger space becomes what ABC always intended it to be: a bigger welcome.