Oasis Cardiff began in 2008 in a small church room with just three volunteers, our founder, Reynette Roberts MBE, and two Iranian asylum seekers. We opened three days a week, offering tea, coffee, and a warm welcome to around 30 visitors. As our community grew, so did our services: we added soup lunches, singing groups, and day trips.

We soon outgrew our space and moved to the YMCA Sports Hall, where we introduced English and art classes, community police visits, and our first FAN Group. We marked our first birthday with soup served from two trolleys, without a kitchen or fridge!

Our next home, the Tavs Centre, had a working kitchen, making free lunches a core service. We launched men’s and women’s activities, our first employability project, and even organised a Refugee Week flash mob.

In 2014, we moved into our current home on Splott Road, which we proudly purchased in 2023. Today, Oasis Cardiff is one of the UK’s largest support centres for refugees and asylum seekers, welcoming over 2,500 people each year from across South Wales.

Under the leadership of Susie Ventris-Field, Oasis offers hot meals, integration support, wellbeing programmes, creative and cultural events, trips, and volunteering opportunities—all within a safe, inclusive space. Our kitchen sits at the heart of our centre, enabling us to serve, teach, and bring people together.

We empower those seeking sanctuary to reach their aspirations by providing:

• Access to essentials – including food, a safe space, and joined-up support services through partnerships

• Education & employment pathways – helping people gain qualifications and access meaningful work

• Community integration – building strong relationships within and beyond Oasis

• A platform to be heard – giving sanctuary seekers a voice in shaping the services and systems that impact them

At Oasis, co-production is at the core of everything we do—shaped with, not for, the people we serve. As members of our community pursue their goals, they make invaluable contributions to Welsh society, culture, and economy.