Welcome to a New Year!
We are excited at City of Sanctuary to be bringing new people together, providing new experiences and activities, and linking people with new opportunities to volunteer.
Everyone needs a place to belong, to call home;
everyone needs people to call friends, even ‘family’.
Everyone needs opportunities to contribute their skills and learn new things.
At Manchester City of Sanctuary we hope to provide,or signpost, Sanctuary Seekers to all these basic needs.
Come and join us.
You and your children are welcome.

Happy New Year!
From Jeff, Charles, Anita, David, Dianne, Zhila, Maryam and Jane

Ps. Thanks again to the amazing Beech Band and all 16 musicians who got us dancing and laughing at the Twixmas Event. Thanks too to Ehinor and team from ‘Wonderfully Made Woman’ who provided all the rice dishes!

 On Tuesday 12th January, next week, and again on Tuesday 26th January, there is an afternnon event 1-3pm to welcome new Syrian refugees to their new home in Wigan.

If you would like to join us ( poster attached), along with POD Collective at 74 -80 Hallgate Street, Wigan, WN1 1HP
or catch the Stagecoach 32 bus with us from corner of Portland street/Chinatown at 11.12am
Please txt Jane on 07851842930 (Manchester City of sanctuary phone) if you are interested.

Thursday 21st January 6-8pm we will be holding our usual monthly ‘Conversation Club’  at Transformation Resource Centre, Richmond Rd, Longsight, M13 0LN, behind Longsight Police Station ( 192 bus).

It’s a time where Sanctuary Seekers can meet local people, who would like the chance to make them welcome and offer them simple friendship.
 
Sunday 31st January 12.30pm -2pm will be our next Conversation Club Community Meal attransformation community Resource Centre.

It is a chance for people of the same nationality or who speak the same language to meet and encourage each other and pass on news and advice on surviving in the asylum system. It’s a chance for local British people to share local knowledge and help them integrate in their new society.
There is a food parcel and a free shop where sanctuary seekers can choose clothes and toiletries that have been donated.

Conversation Club on Thursday 11th February 6-8pm will be a special one on Hate Crime Awareness.
at the Transformation Community Resource Centre. (NB It’s 2nd sunday of month)

The February Community Meal will be on Sunday 21st February 12.30pm to join in the 11th Anniversary of Command Prayer Church, who host Manchester City of Sanctuary, again it will be
at Transformation Community Resource Centre, Richmond Rd, Longsight M13 0LN.

In December two new volunteers, Roger and Charlotte, pilotted a new English class for 10 people at Cross Street Chapel. The first 3 weeks were very successful and they have now planned a further 10 week course for those same 10 sanctuary seekers from 14th Jan-14th April.

Meanwhile, we are setting up a new classes with new volunteers Rita, Felicity, Phil, Anne and Rose.

The next English classes will be in partnership with Revive’s Salford Centre,
on Wednesday afternoons 1-3pm
starting 20th January.
at The Spiritan Centre, Northallerton Road, Lower Kersal, M7 3TP
(Bus 92 from Shudehill to Littleton Post Office, 2 minute walk down Northallerton Rd)

This is a good opportunity especially for our sanctuary seekers living in Salford and north Manchester but open to everyone.
When we visited on Wednesday ther were about 30+ young men, mostly from African background.

Sanctuary Seekers: Please txt Jane on 07851842930 (Manchester City of sanctuary phone) if you are interested.
Or email [email protected]

Watch this space for other ESOL opportunities:
Eg
Every Wednesday 10-11.30pm Drop-In ESOL Conversation Class at Levenshulme Inspire, M19 3AR      0161 850 5717
Every Thursday 10-12noon ESOL Class at Victoria Park Fellowship M14 5GP
email: [email protected]

This Thursday, 10 of our Sanctuary Seekers will be going to see ‘Into the Woods’ at the Royal Exchange.
We have tickets for each play at the Royal Exchange this year thanks to Tracie and Catherine in their Communities programme.
If you know of a refugee or sanctuary seeker who would benefit from this opportunity please put them in contact with Jane or Zhila.

There are many ways of helping refugees and asylum seekers.
If you are have time to volunteer but also if you are working.

Are you a Teacher, T.A. or Headteacher?
Manchester City of Sanctuary helps schools to raise awareness of the needs of sanctuary seekers amongst the children.
Children understand justice and they understand friendship.
They can be great frineds to families who are new to this country, who have been forced to flee their homeland.
If you are a teacher, T.A. or headteacher and want to ensure your school community knows how to make them welcome
then please check out our Schools of Sanctuary page on our website :
www . cityofsanctuary . org/schoolsofsanctuary
or see the video attached to this bulletin.
Your school could be awarded “School of Sanctuary” status.
if you are interested in more information for Manchester schools please send Jane or Fay your contact details.

Are you a Midwife or a Health Visitor?
Would you like to understand better the needs of refugee and asylum seeker women?
We will be organising an initial meeting with people in maternity services next month.
If you are interested in more information please send Jane your details asap.
or check out the City of Sanctuary websitewww . maternity . cityofsanctuary . org
Your Maternity Services supported by health befrienders who themselves are from a refugee background. You could be jointhe Maternity Stream of City of Sanctuary, a network of volunteers and organisations supporting sanctuary seekers in ante-natal, neo-natal and postnatal services to prevent unnecessary suffering.

Thankfully our Asylum Seekers have access to a local Foodbank.
We are so grateful to Sylvia, Paul, Jean and the other volunteers from Victoria Park Fellowship for the work they do two afternoons every week and to Abigail Spooner and other volunteers at Avila House.

Foodbank is available :
Monday 1-3pm & Thursday 2-4pm at Transformation Community Resource Centre M13 0LN
Tuesday, Wed, Friday at Avila House on Oxford Road, next to the Catholic Chaplaincy 335-7 Oxford Rd M13 9PG

If you would like to donate to the FoodBank these are the items that are needed:
Dried/tinned/packets of:
Cereal, Soup, Beans, Pasta Sauce, Vegetables, Meat, Fish, Rice Pudding, Biscuits, sugar, pasta, Tea, coffee, Juice, snacks, chocolate, jam, Noodles, sauces

Starting Monday 25th January 12-2pm at Alexander Park M16 7JL off Princess Rd
there will be a 4 week course to ride a bike ( or learn to ride a bike), learn how to maintain a bike and even own a bike!
5 new bikes have been donated for Sanctuary Seekers.
Eve Holt from CTC ( National Cycling charity), with Ursula Harries ( Cycling instructor and campaigner)
will partnering with Manchester City of Sanctuary to help provide free transport,
particularly for asylum seekers who have no access to cash and therefore find transport a huge issue.
15 people have already signed up but let Jane know if you want to come too.

During December we have been pilotting a new Shopping Buddy Scheme
to pair up local people, who shop in the major supermarkets, with Asylum Seekers who have Section 4 support from the Home Office of £35.28 electronically on an Azure Card and so therefore have no access to cash.
It is very difficult to live cashless, especially with children.
It is easier to make such a small sum go further if you can use cash to shop in charity shops, markets, cheap supermarkets and buy a bus ticket.
So far 4 people have successfully shopped together with a Sanctuary Seeker to exchange their shopping for cash.
Lovely friendships are emerging and each person has been touched and challenged by the experience.

If you would like to be a Shopping Buddy please email[email protected]

Asylum Seekers are not allowed to be employed and may wait in limbo for many years;
but we all need the opportunity to contribute,
so there are lots of opportunities to volunteer and get involved, for local supporters and sanctuary seekers:

If you would like to Volunteer with Manchester City of Sanctuary
we will be offering 3 training sessions in February TBC.
Please let Jane or Jeff know if you would be interested.

Opportunities include:

Creating events eg Conversation Clubs
helping develop a Thursday drop-In,
IT support, PR and newsletter support,
Social Media communication,
Shopping Buddy,
English conversation and IT support with sanctuary seekers,
collecting new ‘pledges’ from organisations and businesses,
supporting new refugees as they set up home from scratch.

 “Without Vision the people perish”
On Saturday 6th February the Steering group who are responsible for the development of Manchester City of Sanctuary will be spending the day together to review and plan and dream, with the help of a facilitator from the national City of Sanctuary movement.

If you have any thoughts, comments or contributions you would like to make to the future development of Manchester’s response to sanctuary seekers please email Charles, David or Anita  ([email protected]).

The Immigration Bill that had its second reading on 22nd Dec will have grave consequences for people seeking asylum and for refugees  Estelle Worthington from the Regional Asylum Support Team is analysing the effects of the legislation and we will report back soon.

“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