Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Refugee Week in Derby
Published: 20 June 2023
The official artwork for Refugee Week 2023 by Murugiah
This year is the 25th anniversary of Refugee Week, which celebrates the courage and creativity of people who are seeking safety. Derby is joining in the celebrations from 19 to 25 June with a series of events.
Throughout history people have been forced to leave their homes and communities. Most recently, Afghan refugees who worked with British Forces have had to flee the Taliban, and people from Ukraine have been driven from their country by war.
Refugee Week in Derby aims to bring communities in together, encourage understanding of why people are displaced and the challenges they face, and to celebrate their contribution to our city. Derby City of Sanctuary is co-ordinating the programme for the week.
The flagship event is at the Museum of Making on Saturday 24 June from 11am to 3pm. Derby City of Sanctuary is hosting Hello Derby – A Festival of Welcome, an open invitation to meet people seeking sanctuary and the organisations who support them. There will be live music, activities and exhibitions suitable for all ages and it’s free to attend.
Derby Adult Learning Service’s (DALS) Better Together Café in the Council House, Corporation Street, is the location for a Derby Jobs Café on Thursday 22 June from 10am 12.30pm. With the theme of supporting Refugees and Minority Ethnic communities into employment, this will bring together a range of inclusive employers to promote inclusion and diversity in the workforce. Job and apprenticeship opportunities, and careers and skills advice will be available, along with refreshments served by DALS’ refugee learners. Anyone looking for work can drop in, or register online before the event.
Further events include special screenings of National Theatre Live’s screening of the stage version of Life of Pi at QUAD. And on Saturday 24 June, Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity teams up with Parkrun for a friendly 5km run or walk around Markeaton Park, starting from The Orangery café.
Sunday 25 June is Sanctuary Sunday, which will be marked at the Cathedral Eucharist at 10.45am with special prayers and an address by the Reverend Chris Rose, Director of Amos Trust UK. The event will also be live-streamed.
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Cost of Living, Equalities and Customer Inclusion, said:
Derby has a proud history of welcoming people to our city who have been forced to leave everything behind. They’ve made often perilous journeys to a place where they can live safely and take full part in the economic and cultural life of their new community.
Refugee Week is a chance to look beyond the headlines and to the people who are bringing their skills and cultural richness to our city. It will give me great pleasure to take part in some of the activities during the week.
Full details of the events programme can be found on the Derby City of Sanctuary website.