Local Welcome is a charity that brings local people and refugees together to share their stories and experiences while cooking and eating a meal.

They have designed a food ritual that builds trust, friendship, and connection between very different people, with regular meals, now happening in London, Derby, and Bradford.

At a Local Welcome meal, three refugees and three local people pair-up on a shared table and are guided through a simple recipe by a table leader, who also asks questions like ‘What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?’ so participants can get to know one another.

They’ve had great success so far and now want to host meals in more cities and would like our support in finding potential venues.

The best locations for these meals are places where refugees find it easy to get to and already go to regularly. For example, in Derby, meals happen during the weekly Red Cross drop-in at a city centre church, and in East Dulwich, they happen in the church hall opposite a Home Office accommodation centre.

Are there similar drop-ins or accommodation centres in your area which would be a good location for a monthly meal?

If you have City of Sanctuary members and/or an active Student Action for Refugees branch in your area who may want to become table leaders, even better!

If so, please get in touch with [email protected]

Find out more at www.localwelcome.org