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Thursday 5 June 2008

COSMETICS store LUSH has teamed up with national charity Refugee Action to celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK.

Throughout National Refugee Week (June 16th – 22nd) 2008, customers to the participating LUSH stores can fill in ‘Welcome to Britain’ postcards and stand the chance of winning a prize of LUSH goodies.

Staff will be on hand to answer customer’s questions about refugees and asylum seekers, and shoppers can help support the charity by buying a ‘Charity Pot’ tub of moisturiser.

Esme Peach, information officer for Refugee Action’s Refugee Awareness Project, said: “We are delighted to be working with LUSH and thank them for their support. Refugees are people who have fled war, torture and persecution and who have so many hurdles to face while trying to rebuild their lives. In Refugee Week we celebrate their contribution to Britain with events across the country, and work with organisations to bust the myths and get the facts out there.”

Refugee Action will receive £8.47 from every ‘charity pot’ tub of moisturiser sold in participating stores during Refugee Week, and there will be plenty of information about the issue in store for interested shoppers.

To find out more about refugees and the work of Refugee Action go to www.refugee-action.org.uk.

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For more information contact Julia Ravenscroft, press officer at Refugee Action, on 0161 233 1956/ 07771 748 159 or Juliar@refugee-action.org.uk

Notes:

1. Participating stores are Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Derby, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham, Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Birmingham, London Regents Street, London South Molton Street and London Covent Garden.
2. National Refugee Week (June 16th -22nd) is a UK wide festival that celebrates the enormous contribution made by refugees to UK life. Every year hundreds of arts, cultural and educational events are organised across the UK.
3. Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK.  We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year.  As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 26 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.
4. LUSH - www.lush.co.uk