RAIS Lancaster

07/08/2026

RAIS is looking for a new Operations Manager! As our Operations Manager, you will lead a diverse team of volunteers, and work alongside a small staff team, to lead RAIS Lancaster’s work supporting asylum and refugees through drop-ins, office-based appointments, and projects.

Deadline for applications: Tuesday 11th August at 23:59

Please share with those you think might be suitable or interested!

Apply now for Operations Manager. , £34,250 per year, find a career with meaning today

18/06/2026

RAIS Lancaster and ARC Blackburn are celebrating Refugee Week together tomorrow night at The Dukes! At 5pm there will be a joint exhibition featuring audio, video, and art from the amazing people we support at ARC and RAIS, followed at 7pm by a documentary about both charities and music and theatre performances from talented refugees. Free to attend and all are welcome 🧡

New documentary and exhibition at The Dukes marks Refugee Week through film, art, courage and community

18/06/2026

So proud to partner with The Gregson. We love working with other volunteer-led organisations

18/06/2026

We had the best day at Lancaster Pride! 🌈 RAIS's LGBTQ+ group for refugees and asylum seekers made a huge banner that they carried at the parade. We even met another LGBTQ+ asylum seeker who joined in carrying the banner who is ao excited to join our weekly social group.

This is why visibility matters so much; RAIS is proud to stand alongside our asylum seeking and refugee friends and tell them: You are welcome here! 🌈🧡

03/06/2026

We had a busy May at RAIS! Amongst the usual hectic drop-ins, full office, and our weekly LGBTQ+ social group, we had our rehearsals for The Dukes, Lancaster The Box project, which we shared with the public last week! Our refugee and asylum seeker group shared their performance along with Prime Time (a creative group for those 60+), Lancashire Young Carers, the Traveller Heritage Group, Q***r By Gum, and 4Ever Unique (Unique Kidz & Co's group for disabled adults aged 18-30). RAIS closed the day with the RAIS House Party, getting everyone involved in dancing and having fun!

We also held our second Beats Without Borders dance and music night for the community (next one is on 24th July).

RAIS also had a goodbye celebration for two of our dear volunteers (though one has decided to stay!) with the wonderful RAIS team. A huge thank you to Osama for the amazing support he has given to our client community. We look forward to hearing about his achievements!

Lastly, we did some filming with documentary filmakers, as part of a project with ARC Blackburn. More to follow soon... 👀

(We also threw in a photo of one of our volunteers dancing with a crochet blanket, because why not)

18/05/2026

Beats Without Borders is back this Friday! Come to the Gregson at 8:30pm, where we will be celebrating international music and dance with DJ Wasswa on the decks.

Suggested £5 donation towards drinks' fund for asylum seekers and refugees at future dance nights. Free entry for asylum seekers and refugees. See you there 🕺💃

18/05/2026

An ode to the Cornerstone and the amazing people who make it what it is ✨️

05/05/2026

🌹RAIS IS GOING TO PRESTON!🌹

We are now looking for Preston-based folks to join our new drop-in volunteer team (see advert below).

We are excited to announce that beginning Friday 29th May, RAIS will run a drop-in helping asylum seekers in Preston! We are delighted about joining the network of organisations supporting asylum seekers in such a wonderful city. And we are very grateful to Preston City Council funding us to do this work and to help the asylum seeking community in such a wonderful city.

We are searching for more volunteers based in Preston to join our team. We are looking for caseworkers and interpreters (Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Kurdish, Amharic, and Tigrinya), and full training will be provided in an online training on Friday 15th May.

The drop-in will run 1pm-4pm every Friday and will take place in a community centre a 10 minute walk from the city centre. To apply, please email [email protected] - a small application pack will be sent to you to complete and return back.

Please share with your friends and colleagues in Preston 🧡

23/04/2026

The Helpful RAIS team being Helpful and Very Active Lifting Furniture! (Not at all posed for a photo...)

Thank you for bringing silliness and joy when the work we do can feel so heavy. We are lucky to have you 🧡

16/04/2026

*TONIGHT AT 8PM*

Tonight, in a Volunteer Special for Beyond Sanctuary, we are in conversation with Lindsey, who has been a volunteer at RAIS Lancaster for years. A former probation officer (who worked with the highest risk s*x offenders) and NHS nurse, we hear her informed opinions on the misinformation and myths around asylum seekers and doing this work as a woman. We reflect on her journey to becoming a strong advocate for refugees and listen to some of the music that inspires her.

We also dedicate a song to our departed friend, Asrin, who passed away the night after we recorded this episode.

📻Live from 8pm: https://www.beyond.radio/player/
↩Listen again from 9pm: https://www.beyond.radio/on-air/listen-again/
🎙Listen to the podcast series on the Beyond Radio website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts: https://www.beyond.radio/player/podcasts/beyond-sanctuary-the-podcast/

Local Radio for Lancaster & Morecambe Bay