Sculptures by child refugees in Britain are going on display as an artist looks to shine a light on their lives in asylum limbo.
Model volcanoes made by young asylum seekers are part of an exhibition in Margate, on the English south-east coast.
Many migrant children are housed in the area after crossing the English Channel, in small boat journeys the government is desperate to stop.
More than 3,400 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in Britain last year. Common countries of origin included Afghanistan, Iran and Syria.
Artist Jose Campos, a former refugee from El Salvador now living in the UK, worked with some of the youngsters on the Margate exhibition.
Thirty young people were involved in "drawing, conversations, play and making", of which the volcano sculptures were the result, the Carl Freedman Gallery said.
The volcano stands for "shifting geological forms that contradict man-made borders".
Osama Sharkia, of the Kent Refugee Action Network, said the children used art to "express complex emotions about their journeys to the UK in a way that words may not have been able to express".
"There were workshops that empowered our youths to explore their creativity, express themselves and build confidence," said Mr Sharkia, a former refugee from Syria.
"Through art, we nurtured their voices and inspired them to shape their futures with resilience and imagination."
Mr Campos said he "hopes this artwork shines a light on these young people’s lives in Kent".
"I was also a refugee and I know that care, dialogue and the chance to be creative can really make a difference," he said.
The Margate exhibition is known as Leave to Remain, a UK government term for people with partial residency rights.
The refugee network said children often struggle for years to get permanent status, known as indefinite leave to remain.
Unaccompanied minors are exempt from being deported to Rwanda under a controversial UK scheme that cleared its latest hurdle in parliament on Monday.
But concerns have been raised that children could be deported inadvertently due to doubts about their age.
The government has indicated that it will look with a sceptical eye, including with the use of scientific age assessment tests, at people who claim to be under 18.
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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