City of Sanctuary Bradford

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City of Sanctuary Bradford

We work to build a culture of welcome for those seeking sanctuary in Bradford 🧡

The city of Bradford has a proud history of welcoming and including newcomers from all corners of the world. The City of Sanctuary Bradford campaign was officially launched on 1st October 2008, with a vision to see this culture of welcome and hospitality extended to include those seeking sanctuary in our city.

15/06/2026

This , we stand 🧡

We are proud to be part of a movement celebrating the contributions, creativity, and resilience of people seeking sanctuary in this country. The theme for this year’s Refugee Week is courage, reminding us to be courageous, stand up for people seeking sanctuary, and learn from each other.
 Join us.
 

08/06/2026

A cup of tea for I, a cup of tea for we ☕️🧡
Our founder Will recently went on BCB Radio to talk through some of his favourite pieces of music and describe how he moved to Bradford and set up Bradford City of Sanctuary. It's a beautiful listen with a wonderfully eclectic mixture of music - from local Bradford talent, to the shipping forecast theme song and everything in between!
You can listen to Will's interview here (it was the 12:00-13:00pm One-To-One programme): https://listenagain.bcbradio.co.uk/?pgdate=20260521

04/06/2026

We are looking for a wonderful volunteer minute-taker!

Our volunteer minute-taker will attend our quarterly trustee meetings (online) to take notes, but will not be a trustee. They will also attend our yearly AGM and Away Day if they are available.

We are looking for someone who:
- shares our values
- is happy taking minutes

If you would like to contribute to our work to build a culture of welcome in Bradford, this is a great way to get involved. Please email [email protected] for more information or to express your interest.

❤️

28/05/2026

🤝How to build a culture of welcome through language 🤝

Featuring ‘Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover’, a stunning phrase book for English learners by designer Bahbak Hashemi-Nezha, co-edited with people attending Sheffield City of Sanctuary’s weekly English classes. The book features phrases translated into seven languages (Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish, Tigriniya, Amharic, Spanish and Ukrainian) alongside beautiful illustrations by Danielle Rhoda. We were grateful to be sent these phrase books and we can’t wait to share them with learners here in Bradford.

Here are some of our ideas for how to build a culture of welcome through language:

1. Learn how to say hello in a variety of languages! Even learning a few simple words of someone else’s language can help them feel at home. 👋
2. Translate signs into other languages. If you have a lot of people who speak English as a second language at your workplace or community centre, consider translating signs. This can help people navigate a new place while they are still learning English. 🛃
3. Volunteer with an English conversation club. You don’t have to be a qualified teacher to help someone learn a language. Volunteering with a conversation club will show people that they are welcome, and creates opportunities to connect with others. 🗣️
4. Advocate for ESOL opportunities in your workplace or community group. Many people want to learn English, but do not have the opportunity. ✏️

Let us know if we’ve missed any!

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover is designed by and
Illustrations by

21/05/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who came to our AGM last night 🎉

As well as sharing our successes and challenges over the last year, we took the time to celebrate our founder and long-standing Chair Will who has recently retired. Will has spent decades working to build a culture of welcome in Bradford with kindness and compassion, and we would not be here without efforts.

Helping us celebrate, we had a drama performance from the incredibly talented , a moving poetry performance from local poet Emmanuel, and a beautiful Swahili song sung by the Mussanzi family.

We are so grateful for the legacy left behind by Will and we wish him a long and happy retirement. There may have been just a few tears on the night 🥲

14/05/2026

This year's theme for Refugee Week is courage, from the Latin cor, meaning 'heart'. It's an invitation for us all to be courageous, to stand together, and to celebrate community.

Courage can take many forms, from standing up for what you believe in, to the simple acts of everyday welcome and kindness.

Here are some ideas for how you can stand in solidarity with people seeking sanctuary in the run up to Refugee Week. We hope you feel inspired to hold courageous conversations, to be creative, and to connect with others.

We are also delighted that the wonderful Quentin Blake was chosen to draw this year's illustrations. Quentin Blake's drawings inspire us to celebrate what makes us different, to be imaginative, and to be kind.

06/05/2026

Here are some of our ideas for how you can build a culture of welcome through food.

Food is a huge part of how we connect and celebrate with others, and it can also be a way to welcome people into our communities. Plus, trying food from around the world is a delicious way to learn about other cultures.

All of this delicious food was made by members of the Bradford City of Sanctuary. We’re grateful to be surrounded by such talented chefs 😋

29/04/2026

📢 Knowledge is Power: Immigration Detention and Enforcement Workshop by Right to Remain.

✨ As part of the Paths to Power programme in collaboration between Bradford City of Sanctuary and Race Equality Network, we were joined by the fantastic Ally from Right to Remain who delivered the Immigration Detention and Enforcement Workshop. ✨

This workshop aims to address the sharp rise in immigration enforcement, with thousands more people facing raids, arrests, and detention - despite the fact that most people are released on bail rather than being removed.

In times like these, it’s important to empower ourselves and our communities with reliable, accessible information about our civil rights. By talking openly about detention and enforcement, we build the capacity to act together. Thank you to everyone who joined us and we hope to see you at future events. Solidarity.

Follow Right to Remain to keep up with their important work!

23/04/2026

USING THE LAW TO CHALLENGE THE STATE

On Tuesday 30 June 2026, Liberty, Race Equality Network and Bradford City of Sanctuary are running a day long workshop for local community organisations tackling racial injustice, where we’re coming together to discuss how to use the law strategically to achieve change. The workshop is designed for non-lawyers.

If your organisation is interested in or has ever hit a wall trying to challenge unfair or discriminatory policies, decisions or practices, this workshop will show you which legal tools can support you to challenge those in order to advocate and support the communities that you work with.

Link in comments to register.

Capacity is limited to 20 spaces, so please sign up as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

Know anyone in Bradford/West Yorkshire who might be interested? Share this post.

08/04/2026

Here’s a few of our partner organisations looking absolutely stunning in this
heatwave ☀️

From libraries to gardens, from universities to train stations, and everything in between, we work with organisations across Bradford to build and embed a culture of welcome into every aspect of daily life. People seeking sanctuary in our city should not only be included, but celebrated for the positive impact they make in our communities.

We are always looking to build relationships with new partners - if you are interested in working towards an award with your workplace, institution or community group, send us a message ✉️

Address

Bradford

Website

https://bradford.cityofsanctuary.org/resources-2, https://forms.gle/iaiQhCt54fSs2P8d6

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