Celebrating

Every year, in May, Oxfordshire celebrates art weeks, when anyone can put their art on display - at home, in a community centre, in a studio, a coffeeshop or, in this case, the back of a church in the middle of Oxford. This is part of a small display of art produced by detainees in nearby Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre. 

Some people are detained there for months before being deported or released, some stay only a few weeks but Sally, the art teacher (on the right), encourages everyone to get involved. Some of my favourite pieces in this display were made by a detainee who was at first very resistant to the art sessions but has now discovered a passion and a talent. Another exhibitor is now producing and selling art in Botswana. While we were talking, in came the Campsfield chaplain, Modupe (on the left), who enthused about the art and other education going on in Campsfield and told us about the adjustments that staff have recently made to the prison regime to accommodate Ramadan.

No-one should be imprisoned for being a foreigner that the UK doesn't want but if it's going to happen, Sally and Modupe are the sort of people you'd want to have around.

We, being free to do whatever we liked, picked up another of our clan and cycled off to a micro-brewery on an industrial estate to another small exhibition - of photographs from the travels in North Korea, Myanmar and Chernobyl of, as he billed himself, very much an amateur. We spent less time looking at the pictures than catching up with each other over zero-drink-mile beers in the sun under the roar of ring-road traffic.

Then a cycle-ride right back to the other side of town (via a stop off to collected a fifth member of the clan) for a celebratory Nepalese meal outdoors. Then a balmy cycle ride northwards to a comedy evening.

A thoroughly good day with some of my favourite people.