New book supports asylum seeking community in the North East
Launch event at the BALTIC, an accredited Gallery of Sanctuary, 12 February 2026
23 January 2026
Dr Gillian Jein has collaborated with a local charity and the community on a collaborative book project and resource, supporting refugees and asylum seekers in our region.
The Comfrey Almanac is developed in partnership between colleagues at Newcastle University and The Comfrey Project, a non-profit organisation supporting people who are seeking asylum or who have become refugees.
Created by and for the volunteers of The Comfrey Project, the Almanac curates the diverse socio-ecological knowledges and expertise of the project’s members, many of whom have experienced forced migration and are now putting down new roots in communities across the North East of England.
The book is intended to provide a lasting structure to document and share this knowledge, which has been cultivated at The Comfrey Project since its establishment by Mandy Jetter in 2002.
Now, having connected people through its creation, the book will next bring people together at a launch event at the BALTIC, an accredited Gallery of Sanctuary, on 12 February..
Dr Gillian Jein comments:
‘This event culminates the collective effort of the different people that have created this book, which is a collaborative record of how diverse people from across the world imagine the seasons, care for plants, and for each other in this urban garden in Gateshead.
Rather than “writing up” knowledge at a distance, we worked together over years to gather and creatively translate people’s expertise and experiences. Turning all of that into a lasting volume - an almanac - that challenges monocultural notions of land and belonging, is a very powerful way to support one another, to make visible an incredibly rich and generous community. It has been a wonderful project to work on’.
The event will bring people together to celebrate the publication with a presentation of the Almanac book project (2023–2025), with CommuniTea, seasonal making activities and readings by the participants.
Event details
Date: Thursday 12 February
Time: 12.30–2.30pm
Venue: BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
How to book: Open Event - no booking required
Bringing research knowledge to the community
Dr Gillian Jein is a Reader in French and Cultural Geography in the School of Modern Languages. She led the project as Principal Investigator, working in conversation with Comfrey’s Director, Eleni Venaki, Comfrey’s Community Coordinator, Nicola Bushell, and alongside local artists and Comfrey Project participants.
The project was supported by ESRC’s Impact Acceleration Account, the North East Combined Authority, Newcastle University Centre for Researching Cities, the Humanities Research Institute, the School of Modern Languages at Newcastle University, as well as generous individual donations.
About the Comfrey Project
The Comfrey Project is a Gateshead-based charity supporting refugees and people seeking asylum through community gardening.
It provides a safe, welcoming place for people who have fled conflict and persecution to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, develop new skills and put down roots in their new community.
Where to buy the book
The book is on sale in a number of local independent bookstores and is available from our online shop.
All proceeds go to The Comfrey Project.