THE personal journeys of refugees and asylum seekers will take centre stage this week with a variety of special events in Oxford.

Refugee Week is running until Sunday and will feature a host of community events, from music, film and theatre to public meetings, discussions and a sponsored walk.

Chairman of Oxford City of Sanctuary, Wyon Stansfeld, said: “We’re hoping that Refugee Week is going to be bigger and better than ever this year.

“We are incredibly lucky to be living in a democratically run country but, sadly, not everyone is as lucky as us.”

One such refugee is Hassan Seguya, who was kept in solitary confinement for two years after campaigning against President Museveni in Uganda.

Mr Seguya, who now works for Emmaus Oxford, said: “Refugee Week is very important for people like me, because it is necessary that people understand what it is like to be a refugee.”

It took five years for asylum to be granted to Mr Seguya, who spent time in four detention centres around the country, including Campsfield House in Kidlington.

In 2010 he was released from detention and was put in touch with Emmaus Oxford.

Long before Refugee Week began in 1998, thousands were seeking sanctuary in Britain as Hitler rose to power in the 1930s.

Irene Gill, 81, was one such refugee and she feels living in Britain has been an “ongoing personal struggle” due to her heritage.

She said: “When we first came to England in 1939, other children were completely hostile towards me but I didn’t register that, as Germans, we were the enemy.

“I was six years old on arriving to Oxford and I have vivid recollections of not being able to speak English and feeling stupid.”

Mrs Gill was baptised in England and despite not being Catholic, attended St Anthony’s School in Headington.

She said: “To this day, I think I still have a refugee complex.

“I feel very emotional and despairing when I am uninformed on a situation or when I go somewhere new.

“I think it’s an unfortunate reality for most refugees who are not made to feel welcome and that’s why refugee week is so important – it can change attitudes so no-one has an experience like mine.”

Vera Jefferson, 83, was forced to move to England from Czechoslovakia with her family at the age of seven in 1939.

She said: “I moved in with a family in Brighton for more than two years while my parents were housed above Paddington station.

“Thankfully I could speak English and was never treated any differently from anyone else.”

Once Mrs Jefferson was reunited with her parents, they decided to move to Oxford.

After marrying, Mrs Jefferson decided to stay in Oxford and worked as a fundraiser for Oxfam for 14 years.

She added: “We all respect each other’s cultures, so to me, it’s like my journey has come full circle.”

Mr Stansfeld added: “Events like Refugee Week are vital in raising the important benefits that sanctuary can bring to both refugees and host communities.”