On a Wednesday in April, Manchester City of Sanctuary ran one of their monthly social clubs in Ascencion Church, Hulme for refugee’s and asylum seekers. The room was filled with around 30 adults and 15 children on the sunny spring evening.
Even though this hour-long session may just be a ‘drop in the ocean’ in terms of the time out of these individuals' day, you can tell how important it is. Javid* arrived in the UK in 2017 and describes not being able to work whilst waiting for a decision from the Home Office as “like a prison”. He then went on to say, “It is easy for asylum seekers to feel isolated, coming here helps me to make connections.” Other benefits of the group discussed by attendees include improving their English, learning about other cultures and nationalities, and finding out about other activities for sanctuary seekers in Manchester.
Attendees of the social group originate from a range of countries including The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Pakistan and Iran. One couple who have been coming for the past few years with their two children say that they have made many friends through the social groups and other City of Sanctuary activities.
Volunteers too play a vital part of these sessions, from signing people in to playing games with the children. One volunteer described the session as “Busy but wonderful. You can really see how much people enjoy it”.
During this session, there was facepainting, refreshments and snacks available. Manchester City of Sanctuary reimburses travel expenses for those who come. The session runs monthly alongside other Manchester City of Sanctuary activities such as men's gym sessions, walking groups, ladies' coffee mornings and much more.
*not real name