The Isle of Portland is a wonderful and welcoming place for anyone to live and visit. At b-side Festival, we are an arts organisation that is currently running a long-term programme about the migration of people from and to our island. It is this movement of people – all of us – that makes our island so special.

We are launching a project later this year, ‘Who Do We Think We Are?’, which is a creative response exploring exactly this notion of migration. From visual artists, poets and composers to storytellers, comedians and musicians, artists and communities are looking at themes of belonging and home at a time when it has never been more evident that empathetic and reflective open discussion is needed around society’s reaction to migration.

The Refugee Council say that boats are ‘wholly inadequate places’ to house people who have fled war and persecution. We need safe asylum routes into the UK as well as proper resources and care.

If asylum seekers – people needing home and refuge – stay with us on Portland either temporarily or permanently, we will do everything we can to contribute to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for them in our community.