A POWERFUL roadshow featuring hard-hitting stories of women escaping asylum is heading to Bury next month.

Still We Rise will showcase the stories of 17 women who express their tales of loss, state-imposed insecurity, destitution and the love and hope they find together.

Billed as a perception-altering, collaborative performance, the production brings together members of self-help support group Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST), based in Manchester.

The women's stories are complemented by performances from WAST Nightingales Choir, singing new, vibrant songs of activism which feature messages of support, while urging for the closure of the immigration removal centre Yarl's Wood in Bedfordshire, which holds women captive for indefinite periods of time.

One performer, known as Besong, uses her experience of the asylum application process, being held captive in Yarl's Wood and her track record in producing thought-provoking theatre.

She said: "My journey from Cameroon to acceptance as an asylum applicant by UK authorities was a long and difficult one, but the support I gained from WAST and discovery of writing as a way to express myself helped me so much.

"Still We Rise empowers women to make sense of what they have been through and are still going through. They also feel that, by communicating these stories, the British public will gain better understanding of the pain they feel in leaving their lives behind, how challenging the process of asylum is and that it is love and hope that helps them to keep going."

The show, directed by Magdalen Bartlett, will take place at Mosses Centre in Cecil St, Bury on Saturday, April 16 from 2pm.

Vicky Marsh, supporter of WAST, says: "Bans on women expressing themselves is perhaps one of the major issues that some women have escaped, as well as real threats to their lives, so in Still We Rise members of Women Asylum Seekers Together have the freedom to tell their stories in a supportive environment.

"Audiences will see the bravery and vibrancy of the group, whether setting out to free themselves of painful experiences, communicate direct messages to the audience or simply enjoy a break from the tension in their lives by performing with their friends."