History

In the spring of 2000, work started on what was billed as Europe’s largest immigration detention centre at a former Ministry of Defence site just north of Bedford. Yarl’s Wood Immigration Detention Centre was officially opened in November 2001 with capacity to accomodate up to 900 detainees. However, it was closed after a huge fire in February 2002 destroyed half the building. The undamaged half was reopened in 2003, with only women and families being detained since that time.

In early 2001, the Bishop of Bedford took the initiative in setting up Yarl’s Wood Befrienders to provide visitors to those who would be held in the detention centre. The Befrienders started visiting detainees as soon as Yarl’s Wood opened. Since its inception, the organisation has grown and developed substantially, but our core purpose has not changed – visiting those held at Yarl’s Wood, aiming to affirm human dignity and restore self-esteem by listening and offering befriending support. We have concentrated on developing our detainee visiting scheme, trying to address the complex social, emotional and spiritual needs of the diverse group of people who find themselves detained at Yarl’s Wood.

Now a registered charity, YWB has grown to about 50 volunteers, who visit and befriend detainees on a weekly basis. The group believes that each detainee has the right to be treated with respect and compassion.  As a group, we are becoming increasingly diverse, enriched by speakers of several different languages and welcoming members from all faiths and none. This, we hope, is enabling us to provide better support to detainees from a wide range of countries and backgrounds.

Notable Landmarks

In April 2005 Yarl’s Wood Befrienders was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of our work.

Former chair, Sharon Jackson, receiving the Queen's Award on behalf of Yarl's Wood Befrienders

In March 2006, Yarl’s Wood Befrienders took on a full-time coordinator for the first time. Heather had been volunteering with the Befrienders since 2004. Rachel was also employed as a part-time administrator. In May 2010, YWB moved into an office on Tavistock Street, in the same building as Bedfordshire Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Service (BRASS) and, in June, took on a full-time assistant coordinator, Tim.

Heather and Tim in the YWB office

In December 2010, the end of child detention at Yarl’s Wood was announced by the coalition government. The Befrienders are relieved that we no longer have to visit traumatised children and their parents, but there are ongoing concerns about the new Family Returns policy and the use of “Cedars”, a secure pre-departure facility.