Refugee Tales Inspired Walk, Talk & Listen,2019

The walk was inspired by refugeetales.org and supported the national call for the end to the indefinite detention of asylum seekers. Wearing locally designed T-shirts, refugees, asylum seekers and local people walked 7-8 miles in the Carnforth area in solidarity with those held in detention. Walkers were provided with lunch and rest at Yealand Meeting House where they were joined by a refugee who shared his experiences of detention, then deportation, and then his return to the UK (ordered by the Courts who found the Home Office had illegally deported him).

The walk facilitated many conversations between refugees, asylum seekers and local people,
enabling people to get to know each other, and to learn about the issues.
The day concluded with an evening event of music, a Global Village cafe dinner, and films about detention, including a digital story of a local refugee who had spent 25 days in detention on arrival in the UK.

interview with MO

Jean describing the Walk
Her

Refugee week celebration 2019

The annual Refugee Week Celebration was held at Kings Community Church was attended by
approximately 350 refugees, asylum seekers and local people. Asylum seeker and refugee
volunteers from Eritrea, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Nigeria provided food.
Storyteller Emmanuel Bhajiji [entertained children with stories in the morning,
and shared his experiences of learning to live in a new country with adults and
children in the afternoon. The refugee asylum seeker violin group performed in the afternoon,
followed by impromptu Kurdish dancing.
More Music ran a drumming workshop with children at the end of the day.

Play “Dance with Me”

The highlight of the event was the comedy show ‘Dance with Me’ co-funded by the Dukes Theatre,
and conceived, devised and performed by Yemeni refugee Ali Mujally, scripted and produced by
Gisela Renolds, and performed by English teacher Eleanor Denvir, and 5 refugees and asylum seekers
from Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine. The show comically explored themes relating to
asylum seeking and exploitation,
and challenging racist and sexist oppression.

Refugee week celebration 2018

This event celebrating Refugee Week was held at the Friends Meeting House
and attended by
approximately 250 refugees, asylum seekers and local people. Asylum seeker and refugee
volunteers provided food from Nigeria, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan. Storyteller
and musician Miso’shi from Ghana captivated adults and children alike, as did More Music.

Refugee week 2018 open Mic Night

The highlight of the event was the show ‘Naji’, a hilarious comedy conceived and performed
by asylum seeker Ali Mujally, and co-performers from Libya, Kuwait and the UK, and produced
by Gisela Renolds from Global Link. The show was also held at the Dukes Theatre, following an Open Mike session where both refugees and local people performed pieces
of music and song.