Culture Connect was a charity that actively sought to build on the strengths and gifts of people who were refugees and people seeking asylum on Tyneside. For over 10 years our little organisation proudly promoted integration, wellbeing, skill developement and cultural understanding in Tyneside communities through volunteering and community events known as Culture Kitchen - with around 100 people involved over the years we put on around 80 events, often on a Saturday afternoon taking over a church hall or community centre with the team cooking their food for the delight of the local community. The events were usually attended by around 100 people. I established the charity with others in 2010 off the back of a need identified through my MSc research as well as by working alongside some amazingly talented people claiming asylum at the time. We closed the charity in 2023 as it never really recovered post pandemic and we all agreed it felt like the right time. I met some amazing friends along the way and am left with some of the most incredible memories of those years. What a ride!