Mansfield continues to welcome displaced people from all over the world

"Since 1914 Mansfield has been sanctuary for many fleeing war and persecution"

Our Vision

Maun Refuge is working towards a world where asylum seekers and refugees feel welcome, where their full range of needs are recognised and met with dignity and care, and where they are supported to settle in our community, empowered to living happy and fulfilling lives.

Our Mission

Working from a place of compassion, understanding and hope, we offer a place for refugees and asylum seekers to feel at home and find a new kind of family. We seek to build a community where everyone feels recognised and welcome, and, safely settled in their new home, as every opportunity for a fresh start.

1914
WWI

More than 250,000 Belgian Refugees fled to the UK escaping the fighting of WWI. Many were accommodated at The Cedars in Mansfield Woodhouse.

1933-1939
Refugees

Many people fleeing Nazi Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia were welcomed to the UK.

1947
European Volunteer Workers Scheme

Many displaced people from Poland, Latvia and Ukraine were welcomed to the UK under the European Volunteer Workers scheme. Several were housed at Forest Town Miners Hostel.

1956
National Coal Board

Over 200 Hungarians were brought to Mansfield by the National Coal Board from refugee camps in Austria. They were housed at the Forest Town Miners Hostel.

1992
Temporary protection

Some 2,500 Bosnians fleeing the war in the former Yugoslavia were given temporary protection status by the British government.

1995
Humanitarian Evacuation Programme

More than 4,000 mostly ethnic Albanian Kosovan refugees were given temporary protected status in the UK under the Humanitarian Evacuation Programme.

2015
Syrian Vulnerable Persons support scheme

Maun Refuge is founded to deliver support to Syrian families arriving in Mansfield under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons support scheme.

2021
Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy

Mansfield welcomes Afghan refugee families under the and. Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

2022
Ukraine sponsorship scheme

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government sets up the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme. Many homes in Mansfield are opened up to Ukrainian refugees.

2023-present
Refugees and asylum seekers

Mansfield continues to home many refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Vietnam and many more.