TEDDY bears and toys abandoned in snow and on waste land are among the images which can be seen on the backs of buses in Tees Valley throughout June.

They are the work of Stockton artist and photographer Helen Shannon and were commissioned by Tees Valley Arts to coincide with Refugee Week which begins on Monday.

Abandoned toys in hostile landscapes conceptualise the idea of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - which is how many refugees feel after being subjected to tyranny and forced leave everything they know to seek sanctuary away from their own homelands just in order to survive.

"I was asked to produce imagery which evoked feelings of discomfort and alienation. I had the idea of snow-covered environments and then three days later it did snow, so I took dolls and teddy bears and toys out and took the pictures," the artist said.

Her difficulty was to produce visual images which portray the lack of welcome with which asylum seekers are frequently met and, at the same time, to evoke feelings of sympathy.

"I tried to make the toys look discarded and dumped as people tend to be more sympathetic where children are involved," said Ms Shannon.

Later she used digital imaging to superimpose blue to convey the coldness of unwelcome and red to symbolise the blood which everyone has in common, producing five different pictures to appear on ten Arriva buses.

Ms Shannon previously lived in Middlesbrough, where many refugees are sent, and understands the resentment that can arise in communities when in-comers are seen to be receiving free goods and accommodation.

"Many of the places involved are not affluent and it can be difficult for people who are struggling in their day-to-day lives to pay the bills," she said.

"The issue is also engineered in newspapers so that asylum seekers are seen in a negative way."

Over the last four years, more than 3,000 people from 50 countries have come to Tees Valley seeking asylum. Many settle there and rebuild their lives.

Events next week have been organised by the You Are Here Refugee Arts Project and includes a four-day visit by Ian McMillan, the legendary Bard of Barnsley, who will compere two events at Stockton Arc on Wednesday, deliver some workshops and meet refugees and asylum seekers who have an interest in poetry, performance and music.

The show on Wednesday from 1pm to 3.30 is free and will feature a bhangra band, children's samba band, Bollywood dancing, Zulu poetry and a drumming workshop.

The day ends with a gala extravaganza at the Arc with African and Asian dancing and singing, Afro gospel, a-cappella singing and music from around the world. Tickets are £5/£3.50 concessions, on 01642 525199.

In the autumn, Tees Valley Arts will produce a CD-rom for adults and young people looking at some of the difficulties refugees face and celebrating some of the talents and skills they have to offer. There will also be a short animated film on a similar theme for children, with an introduction from Boro footballer Joseph Desire Job.

These will be launched at a Teesside University conference when the keynote speaker will be John McCarthy.

The You Are Here project uses the talents and creativity of refugee people to speak directly toTees Valley residents through writing, music, dance, film, textiles and visual arts.

It is funded by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Trust Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.

Pru Farrier