Sharing Stories
Gathering reflections from Bedford's migrant and refugee communities.
Artists & Associates
Sharing Stories is a multi-arts project for and with migrant communities and their advocates, that creatively explores their stories, narratives and reflections. The programme facilitates the sharing of stories through a range of artistic practices, bringing together workshop-based creation, community participation, and live performance.
Over the last few months, through a series of workshops, communities and individuals collaborated with artists towards a free sharing event at The Place Theatre, Bedford, on Saturday 7th November 2026.
“Throughout this project, it has been a joy to hear participants share memorable sights, sounds, tastes and feelings from their home countries, their journeys across the world, and their experiences of rebuilding life in the UK while reimagining the future for their families and communities. Some participants have put pencil to paper for the first time in their lives, while others have rediscovered long-held creative passions through cooking, painting and poetry.
We are excited to invite the wider community to catch a glimpse of these stories through the creative work produced during the project at the Sharing Stories exhibition at the Place Theatre.”
Hannah Hicks, ESOL Service Manager, Hopeworks
The Sharing Stories event
Stories are more than just words. They can be found in colour, texture, scent, taste, sound, music and atmosphere. Our senses awaken memories that evoke stories, and become part of how they are told. When we experience a story through the senses, it becomes something felt as well as understood, creating a deeper form of storytelling.
We were thrilled to welcome so many people to the sharing event on 7th November at The Place Theatre. It was a truly meaningful and inspiring event. Visitors had an immersive and emotive experience, stepping inside stories and really connecting with these deeply human narratives.
Visitors explored an installation that reimagined a bazaar and the stories it holds. They encountered a collaboratively painted landscape of home and connected with stories of migration through poetry, writing and recordings. A specially commissioned musical collaboration was performed live to the audience.
In partnership with Cafe Connect, HopeWorks and Beyond Detention, commissioned artists Atiya Vohra, Jasmin Lea, Chanique Waithe and musician Ardavan Nikeen from Hear Me Out represented migrant participant stories with care, compassion and creativity.
Exploring stories with commissioned artists
To create the sharing event – the final phase of the project – we commissioned Bedford-based artists. Through community consultation with key charities and partners (HopeWorks, BPHA Cafe Connect, Beyond Detention and Hear Me Out), the Sharing Stories artists worked with communities to share the voices and stories of first-generation migrants, refugees and asylum seekers and their advocates living and working in Bedfordshire. The commissioned artists have lived experience of navigating the asylum system and/or migration, or are from the global majority so they were able to provide an essential lens through which to encounter and experience the stories of migrants and refugees and those who support them.
The artists worked across artistic mediums, exploring visual art, spoken word and music to represent individuals and communities, their cultures and their stories.
Each artist worked with a community group, made up of migrants, refugees and their advocates. These groups participated in art workshops, collaborating with the artists to share their stories towards the creating a final piece.
These final artworks were curated by theatre practitioner James Easey, in collaboration with the artists and community leaders, and presented to the public at the sharing event at The Place Theatre.
“We’re delighted to partner with Bedford Creative Arts on this project. Atiya and Yasmin, who are both involved in Sharing Stories, are volunteers at bpha’s community hub, Café Connect, in Queens Park and Atiya runs all our arts and crafts sessions. Sharing stories of home, belonging and community is at the heart of why people come to Café Connect so this project means a lot to all involved.
A highlight has been seeing participants gain confidence in expressing themselves creatively and sharing sensitive stories through art. It’s been particularly rewarding to watch people connect with one another, build new relationships, and take pride in creating something meaningful. What excites me most is seeing their work exhibited and celebrated with a wider audience.”
Fsella Afzal-Pagliari, Community Engagement Officer, bpha
How it started – Wings of Courage
Through the reciprocal act of story sharing, the project set out to celebrate Bedford’s migrant and refugee communities. Drawing on the expertise of LegalAliens Theatre’s pioneering work with migrant communities and refugees in London, the initial phase of the Sharing Stories programme was delivered in partnership with LegalAliens Theatre.
As part of their Wings of Courage project, LegalAliens ran a story gathering and origami workshop at Bedford Central Library during Refugee Week in June. Participants were invited to drop in and share a story in any form – written, drawn or in any language – on origami paper and fold the paper into a crane.
At the Bedford River Festival in July, as part of the Arts & Culture Island, LegalAliens held a second workshop and presented a performance piece around the collected stories and cranes.
We were delighted to work with HopeWorks, Beyond Detention, BPHA Cafe Connect and Hear me Out on this project and are grateful to them for their expertise and knowledge during the second phase of the project.
This project was made possible with funding from Garfield Weston Foundation, The Rayne Foundation, The Wixamtree Trust, The Southall Trust and The Gale Family Charity Trust, and supported by our regular funders, The Harpur Trust and Arts Council England.
