Send in snaps for UK family album
PHOTO CAMPAIGN TO HELP REFUGEES HAVE A HOME LIFE
FAMILY snapshots can capture moments of fun, love and togetherness which last a lifetime.
From chasing the dog around the garden to playing games with grandad and family Sunday roasts around the table.
Now Amnesty International UK is asking families across the country to share their photographs – recent and old – to create the UK’s biggest family photo album and celebrate the importance of family life.
It is part of the #FamiliesTogether campaign, calling for the easing of UK rules - helping refugees who have lost their homes and been separated from their families be reunited.
Throughout October, families across the UK are being urged to contribute their snapshots and those who take part will be in the running for prizes including a Segway rally and a family adventure week.
Amnesty International UK says that these moments – the first day of school, a childhood holiday, time spent together across the generations or a candid moment of love – are the kind which refugees living in the UK, separated from their closest relatives by restrictive family reunion rules, miss every day.
Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty UK, said: “The UK is a country that values the family in all its wonderful variety of set-ups and sizes.
“Although many of us take hundreds of photos of our loved ones each year, we still cherish a special handful because they remind us of the happiness that family life can bring.
“Devastatingly, for refugees who have lost everything, these photos can often be the closest connection they have to their family, which may be hundreds or thousands of miles away.
“Current UK rules are forcing people who have fled conflict to make impossible choices: to remain in the UK but stay separated from their nearest relatives or return to a place of danger.”
The UK’s Biggest Family Photo Album will be presented to the Home Secretary Sajid Javid as part of the campaign. Earlier this year, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing the rules keeping refugee families apart. Mr Javid now has the power to change the rules. #FamiliesTogether is a coalition of over 20 organisations working to secure refugee family reunion, including Amnesty International UK, British Red Cross, Oxfam, Refugee Council and UNHCR. Visit amnesty.org.uk/ familiestogether for details. The family photo competition launches today and closes on October 21. Pictures can be submitted at www.amnesty.org.uk/family.
Virgin Experiences is offering entrants the chance to win one of 13 Family Segway Rally prizes, worth £140 each, at locations across the country as well as one national prize, a Tiki Lodge Family Adventure Week on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, worth £950.
For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.virginexperiencedays. co.uk/terms-and-conditions.