1. Donations of items to Calais and other places through a variety of networks

Information was shared about various gathering points arranged by faith communities for items to be directed to Calais or other places/agencies in need of clothes to support asylum seekers. Most faith groups represented were doing something like this.

We noted two particular faith community gathering points with larger storage and within more extended networks, both with established transport routes for items to Calais and elsewhere:

• Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel in the City Centre
• St Luke’s Church of England, Holbeck

We also noted the plea that Calais was already inundated with too many items (i.e. clothes) that were not needed. We agreed that all faith communities should be encouraged to establish direct connection with an appropriate agency to establish precise and appropriate requirements before any collections of items are organised.

How can information about donations be more widely shared?

2. Providing Overnight Accommodation for Destitute Asylum Seekers in Leeds

We shared information about the West Yorkshire Destitute Asylum Network (WYDAN) proposal for a project similar to the Bradford ‘Inn Churches’ model to be organised in Leeds starting 1^st December and for as much of the winter as possible. Churches have been asked to offer to host up to 10 destitute asylum seekers for a week. We noted that there were other faith communities who may be willing to be involved, that this should be encouraged, and agreed that language should be altered appropriately to reflect this.

We discussed issues already encountered by those thinking about this project with their communities, including:

• Security
• Numbers of volunteers
• Difficulties over space and building usage
• Insurance arrangements
• Relations with local community and neighbours

On these issues we were able to share experience and reassure those with concerns.

For detailed information on this project please contact WYDAN directly.

We agreed that faith communities should be encouraged to work together and heard several examples of partnerships between churches being used to provide an offer of a week’s accommodation.

We posed questions about how the Muslim community could be involved in these efforts.

3. Information about the work of various agencies

We were encouraged to hear about some of the work of:

• St Vincent de Paul Society

Volunteers are being actively recruited to work in a variety of projects across the city

For more information see their website: https://www.stvincents-svp.org.uk/

• PAFRAS

For more information: https://www.pafras.org.uk/

• Red Cross

The work to reunite families was especially highlighted and faith communities were encouraged to signpost asylum seekers and refugees to the Red Cross for this. For more information:

https://www.redcross.org.uk/Where-we-work/In-the-UK/Northern-England/Yorkshire/LocalServices/Refugee-support?dpid=43db712d-5851-43ff-a605-3b4055147d77

4. Interfaith Work and Witness

We discussed the way that the various faith communities could be encouraged to work together to make a united effort to proclaim and practically realise a positive welcome to asylum seekers and refugees.

Three key ideas were agreed

• To ask the existing interfaith projects and dialogue organisations to make clear statements of welcome, and to encourage their members to work together practically

• To encourage smaller, local relationships between faith communities to explore what practical expressions of welcome and support for asylum seekers and refugees may be achieved together.

• We hoped that further development of the City of Sanctuary work to encourage faith communities to join and work at becoming welcoming could progress this work. see the website: https://leeds.cityofsanctuary.org/what-can-faith-communities-do

5. Ongoing life of this forum

• George to type notes
• Peter to type up contact list and circulate notes
• All members to disseminate information
• Email list to be used to determine potential need, scope and details for any future gathering