In July 2011, we received a grant from the Leicestershire fund of £4865 to support us in our work at the drop-in centre. We are incredibly grateful for this grant and hope to use some of that money to provide lunches and to pay some of the asylum seekers’ bus fares. Many of them live on the outskirts of town – Braunstone Frith, Hamilton, Beaumont Leys etc – and their return bus fares are in the region of £4 – a lot of money to find out of a weekly budget of £35!

If you would like to support our work with asylum seekers then please visit our ‘what you can do’ page.

New leaflets about our work for use with both schools and adults have been prepared and printed and are proving very useful. If anyone would like copies to distribute then please contact us .

We also visit schools and other organisations to do presentations – if you would like a speaker to come and talk to you about Leicester City of Sanctuary then please do contact us.

The drop-in centre has now been open for a couple of months and attendee numbers are growing. The centre has hosted a number of activities including a very successful ‘Computing for Beginners’ course run by the Zinthiya Trust, regular sewing classes and LUSH ran a ‘pampering day’ for our ladies which was enormously popular and they plan to come in at regular intervals. We also have an immigration solicitor who will hold surgeries at the drop-in on alternate weeks. Keep an eye on our events page for all classes and activities that are run at the drop-in centre.

3 Leeds schools were officially awarded with School of Sanctuary status on Tuesday 21 June 2011

The following schools were presented with their School of Sanctuary certificates at Leeds Civic Hall by Cllr Peter Gruen, Deputy Leader, Leeds City Council

Hovingham Primary

City of Leeds

St Mary’s RC Primary, Horsforth

Leeds Schools of Sanctuary initative was launched Feb 2011.

The following Leeds schools are currently working towards becoming official Schools of Sanctuary:

Primary Schools

Hovingham Primary School

Shire Oak Primary School

Shadwell Primary School

Bramley St Peter’s C of E Primary School

St Mary’s RC Primary, Horsforth

………………………………….

Secondary Schools

David Young Community Academy

City of Leeds

St Mary’s, Menston

What does the word refuge mean to you? Enter our ‘My Refuge‘ competition anytime during June 2010, using any medium you choose: a poem, a photograph, a film clip, a drawing, in writing, an audio clip, a painting …..

Below is an example from the Refugee Week Simple Acts website, visit the site for many more ideas:

A refuge is not where I’m from or where I want to be, but it’s where I can go to to get back to being who I want.

Click on Refugee Week 2010 – 20 ‘simple acts’! to the right for full details and an entry form!

We recently secured funding from Faiths in Action for a short project to reach out to communities of ‘faith’ and ‘belief’!

Faiths – communities of faith and belief, including but not limited to: Baha’i, Buddhist, Catholic, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Quaker, Secular, Sikh …..;

in Action – ….. taking positive steps to meet the needs of the asylum seekers and refugees in our wider communities.

Exploration of the valuable contribution to the lives of asylum seekers and refugees made by communities of faith and belief.

Looking in detail at projects already happening in and around Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and at those further afield from whom we can learn so much!

Engagement with local communities of faith and belief, with information and encouragement for those interested in establishing or participating in activities, events and initiatives in support of asylum seekers and refugees.

Click on the link to the right for latest developments!