West Northamptonshire to celebrate Refugee Week 25th anniversary

West Northamptonshire are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Refugee Week with a number of events to raise awareness of issues affecting asylum seekers and the local support available to them.

Refugee Week is celebrated every year to honour refugees and appreciate the contributions, creativity and resilience of people seeking sanctuary. This year’s theme is compassion and people are invited to celebrate ‘what compassion looks like’ and extend compassion to all after challenges faced in the last few years.

From 19 to 25 June, events will take place at the University of Northampton, Northampton Filmhouse and online, with a full programme of speakers and presentations also planned at the Guildhall in Northampton on Thursday, 22 June.

West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Diverse Communities Forum will be hosting the event alongside Town of Sanctuary, from 5pm to 7pm, with stalls from organisations including British Red Cross, DWP and Quakers. There will also be a short film and a photo exhibition from Learn2Live (L2L) during the event and presentations and stories from refugees that have settled in Northamptonshire.

The activities will showcase all the support available to refugees in West Northamptonshire, whose communities have welcomed hundreds of individuals and families fleeing persecution from places including the Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria.

Recent resettlement schemes have included supporting the arrival and community care needs of nearly 400 Afghan nationals and more than 700 Ukrainian nationals as part of the Afghan Relocation and Homes for Ukraine schemes.

West Northants is an incredibly welcoming place and I’m excited to see these activities and events taking place during Refugee Week.

This week highlights how much Asylum Seekers and Refugees contribute to our daily lives and demonstrates our commitment to be a safe place for those fleeing persecution and war.

Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate with people seeking sanctuary in our communities and create a society where everyone is welcomed, respected and treated fairly.Cllr David Smith, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services

Find more information and support around resettlement on the WNC website.