Barbara Major

A joint interview with Gill Bryan.

Barbara Mayor and Gill Bryan talk about their involvement with supporting the Afghani women who were brought to Harben House, Newport Pagnell from 2021-2022. Initially the aim was to teach them about the British way of life, but despite the use of translators, this was difficult. In connection with a project ‘Voices of Women’ set up by the Fawcett Society, Barbara and Gill began to interview some of the women about their way of life, in a group at the Meads Centre. This became so interesting that, aided by funds from Community Action MK, they documented the interviews for an archive. Learning a great deal about what the women needed to settle in the UK, Barbara and Gill identified how they could help; they describe the womens’ concerns, such as transport, health, food and cost of living. They praise the valuable support received from Frozan Marofi, an English-speaking refugee with international experience, able to explain British systems to  her countrywomen. Barbara and Gill highlight ‘the great gaps in our social provision [that were]… revealed’. But the Afghanis were reluctant to complain; they felt a debt of gratitude to the UK.

Gill and Barbara describe social activities on Friday afternoons for the women, set up with funding from Community Action MK and the Mental Health Alliance. These ran from November 2021 to about May 2023 and were ‘very joyful’; they took photographs, which formed an exhibition at the Meads Centre in September 2023, transferred to the Central Library for 2 weeks. Barbara and Gill share many happy memories. They agree, however, that local services struggled to cope with over 100 Afghani arrivals. When Harben House closed in August 2023, families were merely given a postal code for where they were to go the day before. They both praise the ‘magnificent’ volunteers they have worked with: Frozan Marofi, Jo Dunk of Welcome MK and Councillor Jane Carr, saying ‘they are shouldering the burden which the state should bear’. But Gill values the remarkable friendships that have developed.