A group of women who resettled in North Yorkshire after leaving Afghanistan have taken part in a creative project designed to build stronger community ties through storytelling, education and art.
The initiative, held at the Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate, is part of Refugee Week, which continues until Sunday. This year’s theme is “community as a superpower”, with events across the country celebrating the contributions of refugees and asylum seekers.
The Harrogate project was supported by a £25,000 grant from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The funding is helping to connect the museum to local communities and encourage more people to visit the historic venue, run by North Yorkshire Council.
The museum partnered with Harrogate and Knaresborough District of Sanctuary and artist Amelia Hawk to run a series of creative workshops for Afghan women. All of the participants came to the UK under the Government’s Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The workshops took place over six weeks and centred on the idea of coming together and sharing. Each week, the women gathered around a communal table to work on a ‘dastarkhan’, a traditional tablecloth, which grew into a collaborative piece of art reflecting their time and experiences together.
Alongside the tablecloth, the group created objects using clay and glass painting. These included items commonly found at the table, such as plates, tea pots, cups, fruit and flowers.
One of the women, Nahid, said the experience had a “profoundly positive impact” on her and others in the group.
Artist Amelia Hawk explained that eating together is a form of connection across cultures. “It’s an opportunity to learn more about one another, even in the smallest of ways,” she said. “Whether sitting around a table or on a rug, it becomes a meeting point.”
Councillor Heather Phillips, executive member for corporate services at North Yorkshire Council, said the project reflects the county’s commitment to being a place of welcome. “Projects such as this help bring communities together and foster greater understanding,” she said. “I would encourage people to call into the museum and take a look at what has been created in the spirit of togetherness.”
The finished tablecloth will be on display at the Mercer Art Gallery during Refugee Week and will be the centrepiece for a celebratory picnic.
Karen Southworth, curator at the Royal Pump Room Museum, said: “We’re so pleased that the museum and its stories have been a starting point for such a creative project to welcome newly arrived neighbours and share some of the rich history of their new home.”
For more information on the Royal Pump Room Museum, visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/royal-pump-room.
To find out more about Refugee Week, go to refugeeweek.org.uk.
