Coventry City of Sanctuary Launched

On 25th September at the Coventry 'Council House' (Town Hall) Coventry's own movement to become an official City of Sanctuary was launched by the Mayor Andy Matchet.

At a packed meeting (which someone described to me as the best attended they had ever been to in Coventry), participants were asked to share their ideas on how to build support for people seeking sanctuary throughout the city, including schools, employers, and local media.

The Mayor spoke passionately about the need for Coventry as a City of Sanctuary to offer basic standards of decency to people who are trapped by the contradictions of government asylum policy. He pledged that all of the departments of Coventry City Council would work together to respond with humanity to people seeking sanctuary in the city.

The event was also filmed by Central Vision, the new community internet TV station for Coventry.

Following the meeting, an initial task group has been formed to plan future events and activities.

City of Sanctuary Launch in Bradford 1st October

On Wednesday 1st October at St Mary's Church Hall, East Parade, Bradford's new City of Sanctuary movement is being launched, from 6-8pm. There will be food, entertainment from the Mussanzi family choir and an excerpt from Ice and Fire Theatre Company's 'Asylum Dialogues', as well as presentations from Chair of City of Sanctuary Inderjit Bhogal and from me again.

More Launches

Bristol City of Sanctuary are holding their public launch on Thursday 23rd October, London on 12th November at St Martin-in-the-Fields, followed soon by Swansea and Oxford (dates tba). Please let any of your contacts in the relevant cities know, and ask them to get in touch via craig@cityofsanctuary.org, or through the website.

Refugee Action announces support

The national charity Refugee Action has just announced its support for the City of Sanctuary movement, offering to help develop local City of Sanctuary groups in all the areas where it works.

Refugee Action is the leading refugee agency in Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

Sandy Buchan, the Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said: "It is important that we get behind this exciting movement, which is reaching out to a range of people who want to offer sanctuary to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. We will support the City of Sanctuary movement in all of our regions, and will encourage others to join the cause."

In Leicester Refugee Action is represented on the local City of Sanctuary management committee, and it provides office space to the City of
Sanctuary staff member.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends or colleagues who may be interested in the national City of Sanctuary movement. If you have received this from someone else and would like to subscribe yourself, please contact craig@cityofsanctuary.org or see the website at www.cityofsanctuary.org

With thanks for all your support,

Craig Barnett

Natioanl Co-ordinator