For over a decade, MHVG’s volunteer visitors have provided crucial friendship and support to people in immigration detention across the East Midlands.
Through our visits, MHVG aims to:
- ease the isolation and anxiety experienced by people in detention by providing emotional and practical support;
- signpost to services that offer specialist advice and guidance;
- act as unofficial human rights monitors by observing the conditions in immigration detention and highlighting these realities to the public.
We first began visiting at the Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in 2011, which held people detained indefinitely under Immigration Act powers. Our visits continued – supporting hundreds of people at a deeply distressing time in their lives – until Morton Hall closed its doors in 2021.
Following Morton Hall’s closure, its grounds were repurposed into the Swinderby short-term holding facility (STHF) and HMP Morton Hall, a prison exclusively for ‘foreign nationals.” We began offering drop-in sessions at Swinderby shortly after its October 2022 opening.
Our group is looking to the future and adapting to the evolving needs in the region. Nevertheless, our commitment to providing friendship, support and signposting services to people in detention – regardless of their background or status – remains unchanged.
We are proud members of The Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees and Clinks.
Our Funders
As a small grassroots charity, MHVG relies on grants to fund our group’s core functions.
In 2022, we were grateful to receive grants from ICS and The Allen Lane Foundation
In 2021, we were grateful to receive grants from The Bergman Lehane Trust, The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust, WF Southall Trust and The Allen Lane Foundation.
Previous funders include the 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust, The Noel Buxton Trust, The Souter Trust, The Swan Mountain Trust and The Marsh Christian Trust. We’ve also received generous donations from The Masked Booksellers, The Refugee Campaign Group and Rebel Soul at The Shambala Festival.