City of Sanctuary (UK)
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| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Craig Barnett and Inderjit Bhogal |
| Type | Non-profit |
Key people | Sian Summers-Rees (CEO), Sabir Zazai (Hon. President)[1] |
| Website | cityofsanctuary |
City of Sanctuary is a British charitable organisation whose purpose is to build a movement of welcome across the UK, predominantly for asylum seekers and refugees, by coordinating and supporting networks of community groups across the UK and Ireland.[2][3] It claims to be a grassroots movement.[3]
City of Sanctuary began in 2005 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, founded by Craig Barnett and Inderjit Bhogal. In 2007, Sheffield became the UK’s first ‘City of Sanctuary’ – "a city that takes pride in the welcome it offers to people in need of safety."[4][3] Subsequently, cities such as Leeds, Hull,[5] York,[6] and Swansea started their own community groups to work towards the same purpose, and City of Sanctuary became a registered charity with the purpose of supporting and connecting these groups.
