How Manchester City of Sanctuary provides a warm welcome for asylum seekers and refugees

The charity has been providing care and support for those who have ended up in the city after fleeing war and persecution for a decade.
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For 10 years, the team at Manchester City of Sanctuary has been providing a warm Mancunian welcome to asylum seekers and refugees who end up in the city after fleeing their home countries.

It brings together those who have had to leave the places where they were born due to war or persecution and individuals and communities here who want to help and support them.

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The charity spoke about the experiences of those who are seeking sanctuary in the UK and find themselves in Manchester.

It also described some of the efforts it has made to counter the “hostile environment” which some arrivals to the country are faced with.

Manchester City of Sanctuary provides a welcome in the city for those seeking safety and fleeing war or persecutionManchester City of Sanctuary provides a welcome in the city for those seeking safety and fleeing war or persecution
Manchester City of Sanctuary provides a welcome in the city for those seeking safety and fleeing war or persecution

What is Manchester City of Sanctuary and why does it exist?

Manchester City of Sanctuary is part of the national organisation which supports people who have fled their homelands and end up in the UK (the charity itself prefers to call its service users “sanctuary seekers” rather than “asylum seekers” or “refugees”).

The idea of the sanctuary movement is to provide a sense of welcome and show people and communities want to support those seeking safety,

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The Manchester group started out as a grass-roots effort, with a handful of local residents who had met asylum seekers and wanted to support them.

As they did not have specialist legal knowledge one of the main outcomes of the group became recognition of the arrivals’ common humanity.

Liz Hibberd, Manchester City of Sanctuary’s strategic and partnership lead, said: “When you meet people and engage with them you see them for who they really are, rather than as migrants, refugees or a swarm of people.

“It’s recognising their humanity and connecting with them on that level.”

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Although it remains fairly small compared to other charities the Manchester group is one of the largest City of Sanctuary organisations within the movement, with two part-time staff and an enthusiastic team of volunteers.

The group has around 150 people on its WhatsApp communication group and engages with between 50 and 60 sanctuary seekers on a monthly basis.

What does Manchester City of Sanctuary do?

The charity runs a number of standard services including community coffee mornings, activities such as yoga and Zumba and arts, crafts and creative writing sessions.

Other work includes a focus on mental health and wellbeing.

The organisation also looks outward, connecting with public and private bodies to make large spaces more welcoming.

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It presents Sanctuary Awards to those who have done this, with previous winners including Manchester’s libraries for getting Libraries of Sanctuary status following an 18-month-long project.

The University of Manchester also received an award after providing five scholarships to people seeking sanctuary including living costs.

Manchester Museum has also received an award and there are, furthermore, schools and festivals of sanctuary which have been recognised.

Who receives help from Manchester City of Sanctuary and what are their lives in the city like?

Like many other organisations working with asylum seekers and refugees, Manchester City of Sanctuary does not ask any information about where people arriving have come from and waits for them to speak about their circumstances.

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Nevertheless, it is clear from those they have got to know well (including some who stay with the charity as volunteers) that there are many countries which people are escaping from for a wide variety of reasons.

Liz also spoke frankly about just what it is like to seek asylum in Manchester.

Manchester City of Sanctuary works to welcome asylum seekers and refugees who are living in the cityManchester City of Sanctuary works to welcome asylum seekers and refugees who are living in the city
Manchester City of Sanctuary works to welcome asylum seekers and refugees who are living in the city

She said: “It’s pretty grim. Manchester is a dispersal area so a lot of people are sent here for temporary accommodation.

“It’s very difficult to move on with your life if you don’t know how long you will be here. Even if you’re granted status you can be moved again and again, depending on housing provision.

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“You will usually get leave to remain for between two and five years, depending on how the situation is in your country. You don’t tend to get indefinite leave to remain immediately.

“I know somebody who got status after six months, but that was a very specific case and they came with a lot of evidence. Most people flee and lose stuff on their long journeys.

“The longest I know somebody has been waiting is 20 years next year. Most people are somewhere in between, maybe six to 10 years.

“If you can’t study and can’t work in that time it’s very hard to feel like you belong or are accepted or even wanted.

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“We try to give people a purpose and a connection. A lot of people will say we are like their family.”

Manchester City of SanctuaryManchester City of Sanctuary
Manchester City of Sanctuary

Among the ranks of service users are quite a large group of people who have fled Iran and have formed a strong community here in Manchester, and Liz said hearing their experiences of arriving in the UK was quite interesting.

She said: “They were so grateful to the UK, it was a bit uncomfortable for some of us. They were so happy to have a place where they could be themselves, practice their religion, wear what clothes they wanted.”

The volunteers range from university students and people in their 20s to helpers in their 70s who have retired.

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Some people who originally come to the charity as asylum seekers themselves then stay on to help, particularly older people who find themselves facing severe challenges to entering the labour market or otherwise building their life in the UK.

Liz said: “They build relationships and we get friendships outside of the volunteer group.

“Somebody goes and meets a lady for a walk in the park, and someone is helping a woman from Pakistan for a qualification. Things like that are really lovely.”

Do sanctuary seekers face hostility in Manchester?

Sadly, some people who come to Manchester City of Sanctuary find life in the UK a long way from the positive experience of the Iranian women.

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Liz said the group regularly meets people angry at the Home Office, saying ministers and policies do not recognise their human rights or are treating them unfairly.

And sometimes things can happen around them which can be alarming and upsetting.

She said: “We did have somebody from the Congo after the Euros this year when England lost and the three guys who missed penalties got racist abuse. He was asking if we thought it was safe to go out as a black man.

“One of our single parent families experienced horrific racist hate, with really awful things graffitied on their house. The kids could see it and that was a real challenge.”

How does the group currently see its work?

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If anything Covid-19 has been quite helpful to Manchester City of Sanctuary as it has been able to run a bigger programme of online activities as streaming costs less than in-person events.

However, as it now looks to operate on a hybrid basis it is once again looking for donations to help continue its work.

Liz says that while it may not be as headline-grabbing as some other charities and organisations, there is considerable anecdotal evidence that it provides a valuable service to sanctuary seekers at a difficult point in their lives.

She said: “Our work is very intangible. It’s about having a laugh, joy, happiness.

“It lifts everything, gives people the resilience to carry on.

“It doesn’t always feel like we’ve changed the world, but the feedback we get says we are a really important part of people’s lives.”

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