E81: Julie Ward on the No To Hassockfield campaign

In this episode, Julie Ward, former MEP with a background in activism, talks about the Durham-based 'No To Hassockfield' campaign. Hassockfield is the site of an Immigration Removal Centre and the campaign was fighting for its closure, uses creative arts as a powerful tool to raise awareness of the harms caused by asylum detention and the need to provide community alternatives, whilst also providing a culture of care for the campaigners.

This presentation was recorded at the UNESCO RIELA Spring School: The Arts of Integrating 2025. This event gets hosted annually in person in Glasgow, Scotland in May and online in October. For her presentation, Julie was supported by her colleague Alison Stancliffe.

Abstract

The No To Hassockfield is a multi-year campaign. Creative arts are fundamental to the campaign, including community choirs, musicians and poets who perform at our regular demonstrations. A visual artist helped create colourful banners and placards through participatory workshops. A sewing group embroidered orange hearts to tie ontofences. At the beginning of the campaign we created a 'Newspaper Theatre' event using published material about institutional racism within the detention business. Socially engaged photographers document our work. On notable dates we deliver gifts for the imprisoned women, eg. cards and flowers on Valentine's Day. We run pop-up workshops during regular demonstrations which are especially enjoyed by children and parent/carers, eg. art/collage, posy-making using dried herbs.

For more information, please visit the campaign website.

Download the transcript of E81.

Unesco RILA · E81 - Julie Ward on the No To Hassockfield campaign

Julie Ward is a former MEP with a background in cultural activism. From 2014-20 she served on the European Parliament's Committees for Culture & Education and Women's Rights & Gender Equality. In 2021 she found herself at the centre of a campaign against the re-opening of a notorious Home Office facility for women seeking sanctuary. Julie is a founder member of the No To Hassockfield Campaign. She is also a board member for various organisations including Culture Action Europe, Festival of Thrift, Newcastle Circus Arts and the Berlin-based Civil Society Forum. When she isn't campaigning she goes foraging and looks after her grandchildren.

Note: SYMAAG attended the national demonstration on 18th November 2023 in a partnership with People and Planet, Sheffield Solidarity Group, Sheffield Action Group, and Sheffield Student Action for Refugees. According to: https://www.symaag.org.uk/wp-

Note: After Julie's presentation a fellow campaigner from No To Hassockfield, Alison Stancliffe, ran a card-making workshop whereby Spring School participants made cards bearing solidarity messages to give to the women in Derwentside IRC.

Names and organisations mentioned:

- No To Hassockfield

- Yarl’s Wood Befrienders, now called Beyond Detention

- City of Sanctuary UK

- Lord Alfred Dubs

- Keep Campsfield Closed

- Bill MacKeith, organiser for the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed.

- Women for Refugee Women

- Agnes Tanoh, key speaker from Women For Refugee Women.

- Roza Salih, Scottish politician and human rights activist.

- Right to Remain

- These Walls Must Fall