Big Leaf Foundation

Big Leaf Foundation Big Leaf Foundation is a charity working with displaced young people aged 15-25 living in Surrey🧡

We recently held the first training session of our Unity XI Cricket project at George Abbott School. The session went re...
12/06/2026

We recently held the first training session of our Unity XI Cricket project at George Abbott School.

The session went really well, and it was lovely to see everyone involved supporting each other.

Thank you to the Wisley Foundation for funding this project 🧡🏏

A new joint briefing by Jesuit Refugee Service UK and Humans for Rights Network highlights a growing pattern of unaccomp...
08/06/2026

A new joint briefing by Jesuit Refugee Service UK and Humans for Rights Network
highlights a growing pattern of unaccompanied children being assessed as adults on arrival in the UK, sometimes leading to detention or removal under the UK-France “one-in-one-out” scheme.

At Big Leaf, we recognise this pattern through our casework with displaced young people.

🔸Read more in the carousel.
🔸Read the briefing: https://bit.ly/4xjb53h

We recently worked with Surrey Hills and artist Jono Retallick on The Things We Lost, an arts project exploring loss, me...
04/06/2026

We recently worked with Surrey Hills and artist Jono Retallick on The Things We Lost, an arts project exploring loss, memory and hope through storytelling and making.

Making space for difficult conversations is an important part of how we work. We're grateful to Surrey Hills Arts Programme Manager, Ali, and to Jono for leading these workshops with openness and care.

A big thank you to N for capturing these beautiful images🧡

This month, we’re launching the Big Leaf Unity XI project, part of Sports for Connection generously funded by the Wisley...
03/06/2026

This month, we’re launching the Big Leaf Unity XI project, part of Sports for Connection generously funded by the Wisley Foundation .

The project brings together cricket, storytelling and food to celebrate connection, understanding and friendship across our community.

Before each match, one young person from Big Leaf will share a story of what cricket means to them, and the ever-important cricket tea will host a combination of food from the cultures represented on the field.

With the support of Elliott, EDI Lead at Surrey County Cricket Club, we will train as a new squad and play teams from around Surrey, welcoming people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences to come together through the shared language of cricket.

We’re excited to begin this journey. Stay tuned for more🧡

Our social media volunteer, Reem, created this carousel to encourage reflection on some of the common assumptions and re...
02/06/2026

Our social media volunteer, Reem, created this carousel to encourage reflection on some of the common assumptions and realities that are often overlooked about refugees and asylum seekers.

Every person’s story is different. Taking the time to listen helps us move beyond labels and build stronger, more welcoming communities.

What is something you wish more people understood about refugees?

We recently held a session on Accommodation Changes as part of our Care Leaves programme at Big Leaf’s youth hubs.Co-led...
28/05/2026

We recently held a session on Accommodation Changes as part of our Care Leaves programme at Big Leaf’s youth hubs.

Co-led by Jessica and Raafat, the session explored the different accommodation options available to care leavers through an interactive group Q&A.

M shared, "I learned about different types of houses like which one is semi supported accommodation houses and social housing. This was all new information for me.”

Thank you to Jessica and Rafaat, and thank you to Community Foundation for Surrey for funding this first year of our Care Leavers project🧡

27/05/2026

Big Leaf’s Sports Programme Manager, Koye, joined That’s TV Surrey to talk about our Sports for Connection project in light of renewed funding for 2026-2027.

🔸Watch the video to see a snippet.
🔸Read more about Sports for Connection: https://www.bigleaffoundation.org.uk/sport.html

Thank you That's TV Surrey for having us 🧡

We invited F to join our trustee meeting last week and speak about his experience with Big Leaf’s Music Connects program...
21/05/2026

We invited F to join our trustee meeting last week and speak about his experience with Big Leaf’s Music Connects programme.

We know that trustees can’t always be present in our day-to-day projects, so every other trustee meeting we invite a young person to join us to share their experiences, ideas and perspectives directly with the board.

Music Connects has had such a positive impact on F, and he has continued practising the violin ever since. During the meeting, he shared some of his music with us, which was incredible to witness.

Thank you to F for his time and openness, and to our trustees for welcoming him so warmly🧡

Our new Care Leavers programme aims to support displaced young people leaving the care system. Guided by care-experience...
19/05/2026

Our new Care Leavers programme aims to support displaced young people leaving the care system. Guided by care-experienced young people, the first few months were focused on the research and development phase, and we are now in the delivery phase.

In the past two weeks, we held two sessions on Universal Credit at our youth hubs, co-led by Big Leaf’s Care Leavers Project Coordinator, Jessica, and Raafat, a young person previously supported by Big Leaf.

Designed to be both informative and engaging, the sessions sparked valuable discussions and feedback that will help shape future workshops.

“After finishing the Community Casework project, I thought it was the end and I was eager for more information. Then Jessica came along with a project that combined all the topics I had studied, and we started implementing it in real life. This is just the beginning of our journey,” Rafaat said.

Thank you to Jessica and Rafaat for their hard work, and thank you to Community Foundation for Surrey for funding this first year of our Care Leavers project.

We were delighted to be invited to speak at ACM Guildford as part of their event marking Mental Health Awareness week. O...
15/05/2026

We were delighted to be invited to speak at ACM Guildford as part of their event marking Mental Health Awareness week.

Our friends at ACM have been such a support for our Music Connects programme, offering us their wonderful facilities to record in, and their experience in production.

Big Leaf’s Co-Founder and Programme Manager, Kayte, spoke about our Music Connects programme, sharing why it exists and the importance of having such community connection programmes in today’s challenging political and social climate.

It was also brilliant to hear some of their talented students perform.

Thank you to Hollie and her team, and to ACM for all their support 🧡

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