Hastings Community of Sanctuary was very pleased to be invited to host the City of Sanctuary’s Regional South East Gathering on October 26th. After many months of preparation, our hosting team welcomed to Hastings fellow CoS Colleagues from all around the South East – London, St Albans, Brighton and many places in between.
The Food Team from Home Ground Kitchen
Regional co-ordinator Ben Margolis, who is also acting Deputy Director for the national City of Sanctuary, ushered us all through a rich programme of speeches, panels and lively round table discussions. The Salvation Army Citadel in Hastings was an excellent venue, with a spacious and light hall and a great kitchen area in which the food team from Home Ground Kitchen produced an amazing lunch which sustained us all through the afternoon. Here is Ben’s report of this event: https://cityofsanctuary.org/2019/11/04/south-east-gathering-2019/ where you can follow the programme and its highlights, and access further links of interest concerning some of the day’s themes:
Round Table Discussions, with Hastings CoS Kathy Briscoe and Keynote speaker Alex Ntung
* how to enable the engagement, participation and leadership of those with lived experience of seeking sanctuary – the ‘experts by experience’ in our communities
* ways that Local Authorities can become more actively involved in making their areas welcoming and hospitable
* and the growing Schools of Sanctuary programme within the CoS Streams of Sanctuary.
Jay Kramer describing our campaigning for Lift the Ban
Jane Grimshaw, Welcome Speech from Hastings CoS
Rossana Leal, dir. Hastings Buddy Project, and panel