Stories from Guests and Hosts

The difference a room can make is life-changing for both guests and hosts. 

Meet Roger and Sue 

 "We've been hosting since 2017, and we've had about 15 or 16 guests altogether (to be honest we've lost count!), staying from anything from 1 night to 6 months - the 6 months was by mutual agreement, and that guest is still very much in touch with us."
Roger said:
"Every guest is different and so each hosting experience is slightly different, but in general we would say the benefits to the guests far outweigh the costs to the host. We offer a spare room and usually share some meals, which for us is not a big deal, but for the guest having a safe place and a warm welcome, even for a short period, means a huge amount. We've also learnt a lot about Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Eritrea."
Here is what one of their guests said: 
"​When my support was finished and I didn't know how I can live in this hard situation, I found a lovely family who helped me to have a better life. I thought that my life is going to get worse without support, but since I live with Roger and Sue. They are more than friends for me, they are like father and mother for me and everyday my life is getting better. They consider me as part of their family. I can say that having a better life was like a dream, but the dream came true, and I want to say thanks for all they did for me." 

Meet Joe and Hilary
Hilary said:
"In many ways our guests were very different people, both male, one very young (just 18) and the other in his 30's. One guest had a good understanding of English, the other very little. One was a Muslim, the other a Christian. One had a limited circle of friends and the other had family and a reasonable community network in Nottingham.

But what both individuals had in common was that they were both delightful guests, very respectful, clean and tidy (much tidier than us!). Sharing our home has prompted us to build on the little knowledge we had about their respective countries - while very conscious not to ask questions about their experiences, they both visibly "lit up" when talking about their countries - their food, farming etc, and watching videos with them of their music and dancing which didn't require language was lovely."
Joe and Hilary have been hosting on and off for a couple of years with Host. They have had two guests over that time, one from Sudan and one from Eritrea.

Meet Andy, Zoe and their cats Bobby and Pablo!

Andy and Zoe are really new to hosting, They have hosted two individuals so far, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Their experience of hosting their guest: "We shared some meals, lots of chats and one of our cats liked him so much he ditched us and attempted to move into his room! After our guest moved out we have kept in touch and speak most weeks and he's coming round for a BBQ this week, I think we've found a lifelong friend!"
Zoe said: 
"it was a really good experience and both guests and their circumstances were completely different. Our first guest was very established in Nottingham, he'd been here a few years so he had a good social network. During the day he went to college, ate with friends and went to the mosque, therefore our house was mainly a safe place for him to sleep and we didn't really see too much of him. The second person we hosted was the complete opposite he didn't know anyone in Nottingham and because COVID-19 was now in full swing he couldn't attend college or venture out too much. This meant we spent a lot more time with him and it really was lovely to get to know him. It really surprised me how quickly we all formed a bond and he really fit into our household."

Meet the Clay Family!

James and Katie said:
We have been hosting for about 2 years now and have had 5 people so far for between 1-6 months, including people from Afghanistan (hosted for 6 months), Sudan (one guest for 3 months and another for 1 month up until the Coronavirus lockdown) and Eritrea (for two months).

One of the joys has been able to listen to some of their stories which they have been willing to share. One lady also had 3 children, but had had to leave them in a refugee camp in Ethiopa. The sheer courage and positivity she showed despite this was humbling.