At any point in history, somebody, somewhere has had to make the agonising decision to leave behind everything dear to them - their home, family, culture - to escape war, persecution, or torture and find a place of peace and safety. During the Second World War, European Jews suffered persecution that led to the Holocaust. Britain welcomed many of these people. In the years that followed the war, the Refugee Council was formed and has proudly supported refugees ever since.

From the horrors of the Holocaust to the unrelenting conflict in Syria today, the plight of the world's most vulnerable people has struck a chord with the British public. With the help of wonderful supporters like you, the Refugee Council continues to support refugees and people seeking asylum to rebuild their lives in safety.

Much has changed since the summer of 2015, when the refugee crisis gripped Europe. No longer do we regularly hear of the thousands of people who have died or gone missing on dangerous sea and land routes. In 2015, over 1 million people fled to Europe, but as Governments fortified their countries' borders and attitudes to asylum distinctly hardened, 2017 bought a fall in arrival numbers.

This drop in numbers does not mean the world is becoming a safer place for refugees. Today, over 68 million people are currently displaced by violence and conflict - more than at any time since 1945. Public and political opinion on refugees is increasingly polarised, and when the UK asylum system routinely fails many who seek protection, the need for the Refugee Council is greater than ever.

Please give generously to help the Refugee Council make the UK a welcoming place of safety for the refugees.