Hello!

There’s a lot going on at City of Sanctuary Manchester at the moment! Thanks to Transformation Community Resource Center for their epic meal last Sunday: it was fantastic by all accounts.

We all look forward to seeing you soon at one of our events.

Wishing you well, David, Anita, Charles, Jane, Omar, Jila, Dianne, Maryam, Jeff and all at City of Sanctuary Manchester

The City of Sanctuary movement and partners are holding a second Sanctuary in Parliament on 1st December 2015 in Committee Room 14 at the Houses of Parliament Westminster from 12.30 to 3.30pm. 

Last year we held a very successful Sanctuary in Parliament event which was attended by 36 MPs of all parties who sat and listened to refugees telling their stories of struggle and sanctuary. Many refugees left the event wit​h​ a fresh empowerment and many MPs were impacted by the breadth of the movement we represented on that day. This year we want to reach many more MPs and are relying on our network to invite MPs from across the country.

Since then we have seen the Sanctuary Summit, the national  conference in Bristol on Ending Asylum Destitution, and a recent​ dramatic increase in the number of local groups and organisations joining the movement for sanctuary.

This year we are returning to Parliament at the invitation of the newly formed APPG, led by Thangam Debbonaire (Lab, Bristol West) and Caroline Lucas (Green, Brighton Pavilion). We will be building on the momentum of these extraordinary times where refugee support and refugee needs are greater than ever, and our theme ‘Sanctuary – Providing Safe and Legal Routes to welcome in the UK’ will reflect the growing strength of the voice demanding fairness and compassion for all refugees. We will especially be highlighting these issues:

• ​​Detention
• Destitution
• The need for Safe and Legal routes ( with testimony on hazardous journeys and resettlement)

Please do write to your MP and get your family and friends to do so too. MPs need to know that we, supporters of sanctuary across our nations, are many!  See this Template Letter for MPs which you can adapt to write to your MP. You can also write to your MP very easily by going to https://www . writetothem . com/ Click here for information on how to contact your MP. The more invitations an MP receives, the more likely they will attend and learn from key witnesses. Please also invite your Bishop who can attend in their role in the House of Lords. You can also write to anyone in the House of Lords and ask them to attend.

THANK YOU

—

Tiffy Allen, Network Co-ordinator, City of Sanctuary

Tel (UK)+447875694070

Tel (Ireland) +35315159216 (landline)

                       +353851953170 (mobile)

Skype: Tiffy Allen

www . cityofsanctuary . org

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. Charles Dickens

We are really happy and excited to welcome Jane Graystone to our team! She will be working 2 days a week with City of Sanctuary Manchester so expect to see and hear from her soon! Onwards and upwards! 🙂 

Our next increasingly fun conversation club will be on the 19th November at

Cross Street Chapel, Cross Steet, Manchester M2 1NL

From 6-8pm.

Come dance, laugh and sing with our inspiring members. ALL are welcome!

We’re thrilled that The National Citizenship Service will be holding an event with us on the 14th November

Venue and time TBC: Watch this space!

Dignity not Destitution –

End homelessness for people fleeing persecution

Thur 12 Nov 2015, 5.45pm, outside Manchester Cathedral for a rally and march, followed by a candle-lit vigil

Come and show solidarity with refugees around the world and people fleeing persecution who will be homeless and hungry in Greater Manchester this winter.

Speakers for the evening include:

Rebecca Long Bailey MP

Ivan Lewis MP

Dave Smith, Boaz Trust

Members of United for Change

Performers include:

Claire Mooney

WAST Choir

The people of Greater Manchester have come out in force to say it loud and proud: Refugees Are Welcome Here!! Now we’re calling on you to make sure people who’ve come here in search of safety receive a warm welcome.

Shamefully, many people who come in search of safety are let down by the Home Office and end up hungry and homeless on our streets. It’s time to end the destitution of refugees and people seeking asylum!! Join us to call for Dignity not Destitution!

Come and hear what you can do to help refugees and people seeking asylum in Greater Manchester. We’ll be collecting donations of food, warm clothes and toiletries for local destitution projects. For a list of items needed, please see the website.

How to find out more: Check out the website for all the latest updates: https://dignitynotdestitution . wordpress . com/. See the attached flyer.

This action is led by United for Change, with support from Pod Collective, Boaz Trust, Manchester City of Sanctuary and Regional Asylum Activism

UFC POSTER . pdf

Please find attached here the job description for Ushers at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Seasonal Ushers – 2015 . pdf
Usher – August 2015 . pdf

Please contact Tracie Daly for further information.
[email protected]

“The objective of the City of Sanctuary movement is to create a culture of welcome and hospitality for those seeking Sanctuary, Refugees and other vulnerable migrants amongst us” – Inderjit Bhogal, founder of City of Sanctuary