- Asylum-seekers are being taken on £100k 'jollies' paid for by public money
- Refugee support group taking them to zoos, theme parks and to the beach
- Part-funded by National Lottery, aim is to 'integrate' them into British life
- But furious campaigners say it has made 'Britain look more like Butlins'
Asylum-seekers are being taken on 'jollies' paid for by £100,000 of public money to zoos, theme parks and even the beach in an attempt to help them 'integrate' into British life, it has emerged.
Since 2009, a refugee support group part-funded by the National Lottery has been treating dozens of immigrants to days out at Thorpe Park, Whipsnade Zoo, the London Eye and Brighton beach.
The revelation was met with dismay by campaigners, with on MP saying: 'Some of my constituents can't afford to take their children to some of these places.'
Fury: This picture shows asylum-seekers at Thorpe Park in Surrey. It has emerged a refugee support group is taking them on 'jollies' paid for by £100,000 of public money to try to help them 'integrate' into British life
'Jollies': Since 2009, The Hillingdon Refugee Support Group, part-funded by the National Lottery, has been treating dozens of refugees to days out at Brighton beach, the Tower of London (left) and the London Eye (right)
Posing for a photo: The trip to Whipsnade Zoo (pictured) was described as a 'summertime favourite' that asylum-seekers 'always enjoy', while 'good fun was had by all' at a day out to an ice rink
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told The Sun that those who played the Lottery would be 'disappointed if it paid for asylum-seekers' jollies.'
Among the other jaunts that asylum-seekers enjoyed courtesy of The Hillingdon Refugee Support Group were trips to the British Museum, the Cutty Sark and week-long adventure holidays.
The latter saw 16 to 21-year-olds who arrived 'unaccompanied' to the UK enjoy a week of climbing and canoeing paid for by the charity, which received £399,545 from the Big Lottery Fund in March.
Photos of asylum-seekers on other days out to the Tower of London, which costs an adult £22 to visit, and Surrey's Thorpe Park (up to £49.99) also accompanied the support group's newsletters.
In one, after a visit to the £500-a-night Grenville House Outdoor Education Centre in Brixham, Devon, the charity wrote 'everyone enjoyed the trip... we shall certainly be looking to visit next year.'
Freebies: Among the other jaunts that asylum-seekers enjoyed courtesy of The Hillingdon Refugee Support Group were trips to the British Museum, the Cutty Sark (pictured) and week-long adventure holidays
Criticism: The revelation was met with dismay by campaigners, with on MP saying: 'Some of my constituents can't afford to take their children to some of these places.' This picture shows a trip out to Brighton beach
Anger: Steven George-Hilley, of the Parliament Street think-tank, said the 'jollies' made 'Britain look more like Butlins'. Photos of the days out (pictured is the London Eye) accompanied the support group's newsletters
The trip to Whipsnade was described as a 'summertime favourite' that migrants 'always enjoy', while 'good fun was had by all' at a day out to an ice rink.
However, Steven George-Hilley, of the Parliament Street think-tank, said the 'jollies' made 'Britain look more like Butlins'.
On its website, the Hillingdon Refugee Support Group, which also receives funding from the Hillingdon Community Trust charity, says the trips are designed to 'build confidence' for asylum-seekers and 'enable their integration into British society'.
A spokeswoman for the Big Lottery Fund confirmed that the refugee support group was awarded £399,545 and that £91,372 had been paid out to date.
She added: 'The funding is for young people without families who have recently arrived as asylum seekers or refugees.
'The majority of the grant money is being used for one to one counselling sessions, education and life skills training to help them build their confidence and independence.'
MailOnline has approached the charity for comment.
'Building confidence': The week-long adventure holidays saw 16 to 21-year-olds who arrived 'unaccompanied' to the UK enjoy a week of climbing and canoeing paid for by the charity (pictured)
Having fun: In one, after a visit to the £500-a-night Grenville House Outdoor Education Centre in Brixham, Devon (pictured), the charity wrote 'everyone enjoyed the trip... we shall certainly be looking to visit next year'
Days out: On its website, the Hillingdon Refugee Support Group says the trips are designed to 'build confidence' for asylum-seekers and 'enable their integration into British society'
In one of the refugee support group's newsletters it said 'good fun was had by all' at a day out to an ice rink
It came as three more charter flights arrived in the UK this week to help fulfil David Cameron’s promise to help refugees, which he has described as ‘our moral duty’.
This latest batch means the Government has met its target of resettling 1,000 Syrians in Britain by Christmas.
Islanders are divided between those who’ve welcomed the migrants and those who angrily accuse the London government and the local Argyll And Bute Council of keeping quiet about the newcomers until they turned up in their midst.
The debate is compounded by the fact that while the red carpet has been rolled out for the refugees and much money spent on them, the council (which is dominated by the Scottish National Party) has ordered ‘austerity’ cuts.
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