The City of Sanctuary is a national grassroots movement which began in Sheffield in 2005. Community leaders including a Quaker and a Methodist Minister, encouraged people, organisations, faith groups and social groups to offer a welcome, hospitality and inclusion to refugees and people in the asylum process. In 2007 Sheffield Council embraced the ethos of the movement and declared Sheffield the first City of Sanctuary.
From that point the movement began to spread across Yorkshire and the country. People embraced the City of Sanctuary movement as an antidote to the government’s ‘Hostile Environment’. Over the following years the movement has developed to include Places, Regions and Streams of Sanctuary.
Wakefield District City of Sanctuary officially declared it had set out on the journey to make Wakefield a City of Sanctuary in Refugee Week 2010. There has been a lot of progress – nonetheless, Wakefield is not yet officially a City of Sanctuary.
In the post pandemic era Wakefield District City of Sanctuary (WDCoS) is rebuilding and encouraging individuals, groups and organizations to join the movement. The local group has a strong base and is growing. Currently, WDCoS is based at St Michael’s church hall and operates a Clothing Store, an Asylum Seekers Support Fund, a Food Bank for people seeking asylum who are destitute, two weekly support and advice drop-ins, a Creative Craft Session and a Thursday Social, run by the Quakers. The local group also runs online English sessions every day and has a team of teachers who go into the initial accommodation once a week. Generally, WDCoS strives to raise awareness and build community links so that people in the asylum process can feel welcome and included.
Since 2017, WDCoS has encouraged organizations to be part of different Streams of Sanctuary. The Art House became the first ever Studio of Sanctuary, Wakefield Theatre Royal became the second Theatre of Sanctuary, both organizations are part of the Art Stream of Sanctuary. All Wakefield Libraries are part of the Library Stream of Sanctuary and offer free membership to all people in Wakefield district. West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership joined the Health Stream of Sanctuary and became the first Health Partnership of Sanctuary. Added to this in 2023 Wakefield Quaker Meeting House became the first Quaker Meeting House of Sanctuary and joined the Faith Stream of Sanctuary.
Generally, WDCoS has quietly encouraged organisations, community groups and ordinary people to offer welcome, hospitality, inclusion and friendship to refugees and people who are going through the asylum process.
Wakefield will be awarded City of Sanctuary status when the council agrees to pass a motion of support for people seeking asylum and reject the government’s ruling on No Recourse to Public Funds.