We Are United

At a moment when communities up and down the country feel increasingly divided, how do we break down barriers, and build friendship together across difference? Read Oasis Hull’s story and find out how you can get involved in We Are United this Christmas.   

In August 2024, riots in Hull city centre erupted following the Southport stabbings, leading to almost 80 criminal convictions, shop lootings and thousands of pounds worth of damage. One migrant support worker told the BBC, “some people say, ‘go back to your country’ … I feel like they don’t like me and I’m scared.” 

No One Left Out

But along from the smashed O2 store, burning ShoeZone, and hate chants, at the other end of Hull high street — a different vision of community could be found.  

A church building bustling with young families, international students, refugees, and pensioners. A ‘World of Wonder’ complete with a tree slide, hobbit hole, recording studio and soft play area. A community space with free tea and coffee, scrabble, jigsaws and laughter. A church hall with sofas and tables for moments of quiet reflection or conversation. A food pantry stocked with household essentials.  

An Oasis amidst the chaos, rooted in the idea that community is a place where there is no one left out. 

“One of the things we talk about is the fact that we’re not whole if everybody’s not here,” says Claire, leader of Oasis Hull. “Everybody’s got something that they give to community and so if there’s a bit missing, we are all weaker for it.” True inclusion means that everyone is in, even when we disagree with each other.  

Breaking down the barriers

“Conversation over food is always a really good start in terms of breaking down barriers,” says Claire. “If you’ve got somebody from a different community and you get to know them and you’ve eaten a meal with them, it’s then a lot harder to hold on stereotypical views of hate.”  

Every week Oasis runs Wednesday tea. A meal open to everyone in the community where members sit round in tables of ten and eat together. 

“It’s like being a family sometimes when we have food together,” says Shenia, a community member who moved from India to pursue a career in teaching. “It’s very hard to sit round a table … and not have a conversation” adds Christina, a long-time community member and recent volunteer. 

Sharing food acts as an “equaliser” says Louise, Oasis community team leader. At Wednesday tea, “the same rules apply for everyone. We take it in turns who goes up first to get their food … we have different nationalities cook.”  

We want to “show everyone that everyone is just as important as each other”, she adds. 

In January, a Romanian family came to their first Wednesday tea and immediately offered to cook the next week. What followed was a series of wonderful dishes including “stuffed cabbage, black beans, chicken in jelly, and a cross between waffles & doughnuts for pudding. It was delicious!” says Claire.  

Almost 50 people attended the meal representing a range of nationalities. “This is what building strong communities look like,” says Claire. “Where there is space for everyone to get involved. A space to get to know others from different cultures and backgrounds … This is how we counter the divisions in our community — by coming together and showing with actions that we’re all part of community.” 

The power of scrabble

Whilst “conversation over food is always a really good start in terms of breaking down some barriers” says Claire, “we’ve always got a jigsaw out because if you sit on a table with someone you don’t know, and you’re just supposed to start a conversation it’s really hard” particularly if you struggle with language differences, she adds. 

Shenia says she’s “basically a shy person” but playing scrabble sometimes helps her open up, “If I start talking, then I’ll be blabbing a lot!” she exclaims. 

“Some days we’ll be sat round the table trying to play scrabble. And there’ll be every nationality you can think of. Every age group you can think of and I love that,” says Christina. “It’s stopped me being lonely.” 

But board games are not a quick fix. “It’s slow, intentional work,” says Claire. People “won’t tend to start talking to each other unless a staff member or a volunteer inserts themselves in and tries to facilitate that, so there does have to be some pro-activeness”, says Louise, “but then some really amazing conversations have happened”. 

Staying curious

Creating an inclusive space where there is room for difference requires opening conversations up rather than shutting them down. And that starts with listening and asking questions. 

“Sometimes you just need to listen to people,” says Rachel, community support worker at the hub. “We all need to feel listened to.”   

“I think it is that whole thing of not shutting [the conversation] down,” says Louise. “The main thing we do as a staff and volunteer team is pick up on things that we hear and just ask questions. ‘Why do you think that?’ or ‘Can you tell me more?’ I think questions can be really powerful.” 

Asking questions is “really good at dispelling myths”, says Christina, “And getting rid of the unknown which can perpetuate fear”.  

Christina remembers growing up on a working-class estate when industry in Hull declined and devastated the community. “You ended up with one, two, even three generations of a family out of work,” she says. And that hardship has fuelled a lot of division and resentment in communities.   

Flying the flag of inclusion

Last summer, the rise of flags across communities made many feel uneasy and fearful for different reasons. So, Claire and the team decided to facilitate some craftivism, bringing community members together using arts and crafts to create different flags to make it clear that everyone is welcome at the Oasis hub. 

Making the flags defused some of the fear people were feeling says Christina. “I really loved looking at all the different messages on the flags, some of them were just pictures, but they all had a really positive message to them,” she says.  

Creating a safe space

“There are a lot of people who feel excluded right now. Whether it’s because of flags or other rhetoric,” says Claire. “So having a space that people know to be safe is really important.” 

Angelika, a Polish mother of two young girls, comes to the hub regularly. “I like coming here because my children have time for themselves and play with lots of other children.” Angelika loves coming for the joy and laughter. “I feel like everybody here is smiling and laughing and it makes me feel good because in Romania you don’t see as many people laughing together,” says Anisoara, a community member. “I feel like community is safety. It’s like therapy.” 

“Coming here is the light at the end of that tunnel. Because it’s a safe place,” says Christina. “It’s allowed me to feel part of community again. I’ve had lots of mental health issues as well. I live with complex PTSD, so there’s been times over these ten years when I couldn’t wait to get here … It’s been an Oasis for me personally.” 

“I really enjoy it. It’s good to meet different people. They are so friendly,” says Shenia. “It’s only in a few places that you will be able to mingle with each and every person”. Community here is not dependent on “age, sex, religion or which country you belong to. It’s not about that. It’s about all people. That’s what I’ve felt”, she adds. 

We Are United

Oasis is one of the organisations behind the launch of ‘We Are United’ — a collaboration to build inclusion and welcome in local neighbourhoods — showing how we can thrive across difference.  

Steve Chalke explains, “The idea for We Are United came from a growing concern that, across the UK, communities are becoming increasingly divided. We are witnessing a rise in fear, scapegoating, loneliness and hostility, particularly towards people from migrant and historically marginalised backgrounds. Discussions between like-minded leaders about how we could and should respond to this growing threat to community cohesion led to the idea for We Are United — and its first initiative Together at Christmas.”  

In December 2025 we ran a small pilot – inviting people to use one of the oldest and most universal acts of inclusion: sharing a meal. Oasis Hull was one of the host communities.  

This Christmas 2026, we hope over 1,000 We Are United meals will be hosted in different neighbourhoods. We would love you to get involved. If you or your community would like to take part, please register your interest by getting in touch at peopleunite@oasisuk.org. Together we can make a stand for inclusion, for compassion, and for community!