About

The Napier Drop-In Centre team of volunteers standing together and smiling at the camera.

Every Wednesday since March 2021, a group of volunteers and NGOs has come together to run a drop-in centre for refugees housed at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent. When we first opened the Napier Drop-In Centre, the residents needed a welcoming, safe space to seek advice and support and provide relief from their housing quarters.

Our team of volunteers at The Napier Drop-In Centre. Photo by © Andy Aitchison.

Over the past two years, we have become a vital part of the support network for a transient population of destitute refugees: around 300 residents at a time live at Napier Barracks for 60-90 days, so in a year, the site can easily be home to more than 1,200 people.

St Paul's Church Hall is kindly provided by The Trinity Benefice every week, with asylum advice provided by Samphire Project. Other partners and supporters include Jesuit Refugee Services, Art Refuge, Humans for Rights Network, Kent Refugee Help, The Royal Literary Trust, Doctors of the World, Medecins Sans Frontieres UK, and Hear Me Out.

A group of multi-ethnic young people participate in a creative group workshop. — Young refugees and drop-in centre volunteers participate in a creative group workshop. Photo by © Andy Aitchison.

A young West Asian man plays with a small tower of decorated wooden bricks. — A refugee plays with a small tower of decorated wooden bricks. Photo by © Andy Aitchison.

A desk with a photo of Egyptian pyramids and the words ‘Egypt’ and ‘Mohamed’ spelt out using wooden letters on top of it. — Drop-in centre visitors explore creatively expressing themselves and their stories. Photo by © Andy Aitchison..

A young refugee man experiments with typing on a typewriter. — During a creative workshop, a young refugee man experiments with typing on a typewriter. Photo by © Andy Aitchison.

The Directors of the Napier Drop-In Centre CIC are Sally Hough and Charlie Zosseder. Sally is a founding member of the Drop-In and has been assisting refugees at Napier Barracks since it opened in 2020. Charlie began volunteering at the Drop-In in 2022 and is a Dover District Councillor and Operations Manager at Refugee Charity Samphire Project.