Our Story

 For over a decade as 'Morton Hall Visitors' Group', our volunteer visitors have provided crucial friendship and support to people in immigration detention across the East Midlands.

We first began visiting at the Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in 2011, which held people detained indefinitely under Immigration powers. Our visits continued – supporting hundreds of people at a deeply distressing time in their lives – until Morton Hall closed its doors in 2021. 

Following Morton Hall’s closure, its grounds were repurposed into the Swinderby short-term holding facility (STHF) and HMP Morton Hall, a prison exclusively for ‘foreign nationals.” We began offering drop-in sessions at Swinderby shortly after its October 2022 opening. We are now also actively accepting referrals and visiting clients at HMP Morton Hall.

Our group is looking to the future and adapting to the evolving needs in the region. Nevertheless, our commitment to providing friendship, support and signposting services to people in detention – regardless of their background or status – remains unchanged.

We are proud members of The Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees, The Detention Forum and Clinks.