We wanted to raise a small sum of cash quickly to help an Asylum Seeker in difficulty. Over a cup of tea we came up with the idea of holding a coffee morning. And also using the event to raise awareness of Asylum Seekers and destitution amongst our friends and neighbours.

So we hurriedly sent emails to anyone who had shown an interest in City of Sanctuary, friends, neighbours, members of our local community choir and quite frankly anybody else we could think of. We asked local churches to include us in their notices and put some notices through neighbours doors.

Out came the baking tins and pickling jars. We spent an afternoon painting jam jars with glass paint. Dividing house and garden plants and pricing up some jewellery someone had donated.

Friends were asked to come and pour teas and coffees. more friends were asked to man the plant and book stalls.

We opened Linda’s front door on Saturday morning at 10am not knowing whether six or 60 people would turn up. And closed it at noon.

Yes, lots of people turned up, we think more than 70. Yes, the sun was shining and people sat and talked, ate and drank in the garden, on the sofas and on the floors. They brought with them donations of toothpaste, toothbrushes, rice, pasta and teabags and £439 (after expenses). And took away with them new friendships and an understanding of what the term ‘Asylum Seeker’ means.

Asylum-seekers based in Bristol who are left destitute by gaps in the asylum process will now be able to find alternative accommodation thanks two houses donated to Bristol Hospitality Network (BHN), and a network of local people offering a spare room.

Currently under the umbrella of Bristol Refugee Rights (BRR) - which runs a drop-in centre for asylum-seekers in Easton and presses for changes to the system that denies them their human rights - BHN is a working group looking into issues of housing for destitute asylum-seekers in Bristol.

"We support and recruit hosts for asylum seekers who attend BRR's services at the Welcome Centre in Easton, and have become ineligible for support," BHN said in a statement explaining the work of the group.

" Since being donated two houses, we are also in the process of setting these up to be able to house up to seven male destitute asylum seekers for short and long stays, and two wardens who will contribute to the running costs of the house."

BHN is appealing for help in any of the following ways:

1. If you are interested in offering temporary hospitality to a destitute asylum seeker in your own home, please contact the network for more information. We will arrange to meet you and discuss our ethos and the specifics of your situation before inviting you to host someone in your house.

2. In our projected budget for the two new houses, there is currently a £160/month deficit in funding. If you would be interested in making a small regular donation, like £5/month, please get in touch for more information.

3. We need several more trustees and a treasurer, preferably with experience in housing. If you are interest in a voluntary role of this sort, we would love to talk with you further.