A ‘Community of Sanctuary’
welcome, care and sanctuary for all who live in our town
Hastings Community of Sanctuary (HCoS) is a local volunteer-run charity committed to building a culture of welcome for people seeking sanctuary in our town. We work to raise awareness of the issues facing refugees and people seeking asylum, run collections for essential items and raise funds to support local projects.
Our projects include: the annual Sanctuary Festival, The People’s Boutique (providing free good quality adult and children’s clothes) and the Sanctuary Awards (supporting a culture of welcome and inclusion in Schools, Libraries and other institutions).
We campaign for a fair and humane asylum system, including more safe and legal routes for people to seek asylum in the UK. Once here, we believe that people should be housed and supported in local communities, and be able to work and contribute to those communities, while their claims are assessed (which they are currently not allowed to do).
HCoS grew out of community group Hastings Supports Refugees and joined the national City of Sanctuary movement in 2017. We decided to call ourselves Hastings Community of Sanctuary, as it reflects the huge community support in the town for refugees and people seeking asylum. Hastings Supports Refugees now sits under the umbrella of HCoS.
Keep up to date via the Facebook page we share with Hastings Supports Refugees, and on Twitter and Instagram.
Show your support by signing the HCoS Pledge here.
If you’re interested in volunteering with us, contact [email protected]
Latest News – see our News and Blog page
Charity no. 1200852