About UsThe London Detainee Support Group (LDSG) is a non-political and non-religious registered charity 1065066 that befriends and supports asylum-seekers and others detained in the London area, primarily at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook Removal Centres. Detainees are held indefinitely without charge and without automatic access to bail hearings. Many have no connections in the UK, little or no English and little understanding of the asylum system. For some, LDSG is their only source of contact with and information from the outside world. LDSG's core work is the recruitment, support, training and co-ordination of volunteer visitors who befriend individual detainees through regular visits every week/10 days. LDSG currently has around 50 active volunteer visitors. The LDSG freephone line is widely advertised through multilingual posters and leaflets in Harmondsworth and Colnbrook, and is a crucial link to the outside world for detainees with severely limited access to telephone cards. Due to language barriers and the fact of their detention, detainees often have a great difficulty accessing services and even contacting their solicitors. Visitors act to signpost, liaise with service providers (eg. Solicitors, bail organisations) and empower detainees to make choices about the services available to them. LDSG is funded by:
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