Narthex, Birmingham

Narthex is based at St John's church in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, which is a majority Muslim area amongst the 5% most deprived areas in England.

Salome, a refugee from Kenya, is just one of the many individuals and families helped by the project. Arriving in Sparkhill, separated from her family and with very few possessions, she faced a lonely and uncertain future until a chance meeting lead her to Narthex. "You can't imagine that there would be people who would care for you although they do not know you", she told us.

Narthex holds a regular drop-in service for refugees, offering help with asylum claims and other legal paperwork, and signposting to other services. Food, clothing and basic household good are also available; depending on their status and the progress of their asylum claim some asylum seekers are not permitted to work, whilst others are only entitled to a maximum of £35 a week in benefits - many become destitute.

Salome and John Self, the parish priest at St John's, tell their stories in this short film.

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