Unity in Diversity; a place of welcome, safety and comfort

When a group of Swansea-based community leaders first discussed the idea of forming a charity to offer a warm welcome to the city’s new arrivals, Britain was a different place.

The year was 2012. That summer saw the Olympic Games come to London, and the positive impact of this vibrant multicultural event spread far beyond the capital. Britain’s greatest hero of those Olympics was a Somalian immigrant and a practising Muslim who had migrated here at eight years of age. Mo Farah’s thrilling performances and two gold medals on the athletics track united the country in celebration.

That summer, the seeds for Unity in Diversity were planted, and four years later the charity was formed, driven forward by people who believed that the shared joy and mutual respect we saw in 2012 was the true face of our country.

We still believe it today.

We see it in the faces of our volunteers and service users.

We hear it in the voices of our leaders.

Gemma has been a familiar face at Unity and Diversity for eight years. When she shares her experience, she speaks from the heart:

“I have been volunteering with UiD since 2018. Let me share my personal impression of this organisation during my time in Wales.

From the beginning, UiD felt like a very open and welcoming space for everyone. When I first came, there were English classes, similar to what we have now. There were three different class levels, so people of different abilities and confidence levels were made to feel comfortable and given the right level of support.

Coffee, tea, and bread with salad were always prepared. Sometimes a barber would come and cut the men’s hair, and some volunteers brought board games so that people could spend time together in a relaxed way. Clothes and other necessary items were laid out at the back of the meeting space every week so that people could choose what they needed. People were given support and respect. Those things do not always go together but at UiD they always have. Everyone who walks through the door is respected as a valuable member of the community. This is inspiring. It is transformative.

What impressed me the most was that UID felt like a place where everyone could enjoy being together. In a traditional Korean house, there are different areas for different purposes. Among these, my favourite space is the “sarangbang”, the community reception room, which is the guest room where visitors are welcomed, served, and engaged in conversation. For me, UiD felt exactly like that sarangbang. It was a place where I could make friends and feel a sense of safety and comfort, even though my English was not very good to begin with.”

Today, Gemma’s English is very good indeed. She’s a leader and a role model, and in January 2026 we were delighted when she accepted our invitation to join the board of directors of UiD as a trustee. Her accomplishment, empathy and life experience will help drive us forward in the second half of the 2020s.

What can we reflect on, fourteen years after this charity was conceived and a decade after it was formed?

We can hold on to our pride in the happy, confident, tolerant country that hosted the world in the summer of 2012. However much some people may seek to divide us, we believe that when we scratch the surface, we will find a place that still reflects our values. The Britain that offers new arrivals a place of welcome, safety and comfort still exists, so don’t give up on it. Gemma hasn’t. Unity in Diversity hasn’t. Neither should you.