Our vision is a society that fully respects the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and refugees, seeking justice and a flourishing life for all.

Our mission is to offer personally sensitive support (legal, social, practical, emotional) to refugees and asylum seekers as they seek to move on with their lives in the U.K.

The Cotton Tree Trust was founded in October 2016 to provide support and assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. Charities and legal firms seeking to provide immigration advice and support to refugees and asylum seekers are seriously overstretched, with many more demands for assistance than they can possibly meet. Cuts to legal aid funding and the merits test have exacerbated this situation. Many vulnerable asylum seekers who have a strong and honest case are at risk of being detained or deported. Some have already entrusted their savings to unscrupulous or unqualified advisers in exchange for a very poor service. Despite their good intentions, most organisations don’t have the time required to explore their clients’ cases.

Our name comes from the sprawling cotton tree that stands at the heart of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The first group of former slaves from America landed on the peninsula after a long sea voyage in 1787. They made their way to the giant tree above the bay, where they prayed and sang hymns of gratitude for their deliverance to a free land. More settlers began to arrive, and Freetown was founded in 1792 with the tree at its centre. It became a historical symbol of freedom and hope.

Our logo is a stylised version of the tree with a white trunk in the shape of a helping hand. The roots go deep into the earth, bringing strength and stability, and the branches reach towards the sky.

The Cotton Tree is founded on these values in the conviction that relaxed time, professional expertise and a welcoming community will enable many deserving individuals to settle and build new lives in the UK. Most of our members are asylum seekers, refugees or people with a recent refugee background. We see ourselves as a community of learning in which every member has much to contribute and much to learn.

We offer relaxed time, professional expertise and a welcoming community. We try to guide our members beyond their traumatic histories and help them to rebuild their lives.

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