City of Sanctuary is a movement committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for refugees seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. Wherever refugees go, we want them to feel safe and find people who will welcome them.
Local people across the Medway Towns over the last twelve months have established a Medway City of Sanctuary group joining the network of over 50 local groups in boroughs, towns and cities across the UK and Ireland, all committed to building this culture of welcome across every sphere of society. Asylum seekers are not dispersed to the Medway area and at present the leader of the Council has not committed to the Government’s scheme for helping Syrian refugees. However over 130 refugee children have come to Medway through Kent County Council. So we seek to build places and spaces of safety in our Towns which will contribute to meeting this particular need while continuing to highlight the role our local communities can play in welcoming all those who have fled their homelands to find safety in the UK.
The ‘revised Dubs amendment’ places the emphasis on local Councils to consult with National Government on providing a local response for refugee children and Medway City of Sanctuary will be looking to encourage Medway Council in this process.