Based in the UK, but with an outreach across 23 countries, The Flying Seagull Project is confronting the harsh reality of refugee camps through the simplicity of play. In 2007, while volunteering at an orphanage in Cambodia, founder, Ash Perrin, identified a lacuna in the care of the children living there. While the essentials: shelter, clothing etc. were being met, one critical element was overlooked, says Ash, “It was someone’s job to feed them, but it was no one’s job to care what they wanted to be when they were older or if they felt confident.” Ash saw this gap as an opportunity to create something new and special, where each child would be seen for their true potential.  He went home to recruit fellow entertainers, and four months later the first Seagull Project was in the works in Romania.  Since 2008, The Flying Seagull Project has brought laughter to more than 220,000 children with over 4,000 play sessions.

The focus of this social circus project is to transform the most challenging and desperate environments into safe spaces that foster happiness, laughter and the freedom for children to express themselves; spaces in which play time is not a luxury but an integral part of daily activity. Composed of clowns, musicians, entertainers and actors, The Flying Seagull Project team visits refugee camps worldwide with their big top tent, enriching communities with interactive clo...