Celebrating Sanctuary is our facilitated conversation at 10.00am on April 19th to launch Celebrating Sanctuary Week.

Our aim is to celebrate and promote the stories of welcome from across the City of Sanctuary network and encourage groups to do the same in order to influence a more positive narrative around asylum. Events across the country will also serve as an opportunity to start to build positive relationships with decision makers and the media.

At the launch event we will showcase our latest video on what Sanctuary means and we hope to provide a snapshot of the results of the CoS network Annual Survey.  Caroline Lucas ( Vice Chair of the APPG on Refugees) will tell us why is it important to let decision makers know that their communities are welcoming.

Emma Harrison Director of IMIX will chair the panel and present on how we can build a counter-narrative to the negative rhetoric that is prevalent in the media.  We will have short presentations from Pembrokeshire County of Sanctuary (Penally Befriender), Norwich (Celebrating Sanctuary Awards), Brighton Table Tennis Club of Sanctuary, and  Wolverhampton (Working with their MP and securing positive media coverage).

There will be a breakout session for groups to share their stories of welcome, connecting people together and  how they engage with decision makers/media and opportunities for discussion.

City of Sanctuary Chair of Trustees and campaigner, Jonathan Ellis will welcome us and sum up the session.

Register Here 

See also the Celebrating Sanctuary Toolkit.

And our article Time to Celebrate Sanctuary in response to the announcement of the new plans for asylum.