Liverpool: City of Sanctuary

Today, Saturday there was a special City of Sanctuary event in Liverpool. I was there all day, live blogging to encourage people to come down. And loads did, For a special and welcoming reason.

“City of Sanctuary is a movement committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for refugees seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. Our network of local groups includes boroughs, towns and cities across the UK and Ireland, all committed to building this culture of welcome across every sphere of society.

Wherever refugees go, we want them to feel safe and find people who will welcome them.”

This is what today was about and how it all went:10:15 So we’re getting set up at the moment and I’ll be live blogging photos from throughout the day. To further encourage you to come down, rain or no rain, and introduce you to all the friends who’ll be here.

11:15 Getting going here now, stalls and discussions setting up.

I’ve met a couple of old friends here Rachel and Bob Braddock. Rachel’s now an author of children’s stories and is here in the story room.

Back soon with more.

12:00 More photos as the event gets busy.

1:00 Well underway here now.

Mchu talks about growing up in a Congo made up of so many cultures and languages.

“It’s such a loud country! Everyone full of love for the place and each other. A great place to grow up!”

That’s the Liverpool Lighthouse, and it needs £300,000 spending on it. Read more about it on their website, including how you can help and/or donate.

1:45 Visits from loads of people including the Lord Mayor, Junior Mayor, Councillor Frank Hont and lots more people.

We both talk with Sean about his new role, our own coming work with people needing homes to go to. And of course we talk current affairs, Brexit and all that. Assuring us his role is essentially apolitical Sean talks sound sense and I look forward to hearing a good deal from him soon and in the future.

3:00 And when I’ve loaded up most of these pictures the camera goes away for a while so I can talk more. And we don’t just talk war, slavery, fleeing violence and oppression. Though we do. We also talk life and the pursuit of happiness. The joy of spending time together in this peaceful place. There is generosity, food, stories and friendship. Yes of course there is friendship. In Liverpool, City of Sanctuary.

Then as we’re finishing?

4:00 When the camera’s well gone to sleep and we’re mostly packed away I have the pleasure of my first ever conversation with a Rathbone, Andrew. Descendant of my own guiding light Eleanor Rathbone. A pleasure to meet you Andrew and talk family memories, Liverpool and Leeds life and our joint and perennial question ‘What would Eleanor Rathbone do about all this?’

A great day then, here at the Quaker Meeting House, finding out ‘What love will do.’

During the day several blog readers come and say hello. One of them even takes a picture of me working on this post and posts it on his own blog about the day! Thank you Radical Rambler (@Roy_Noon on Twitter).

See you all again soon.

More on Liverpool and all the Cities of Sanctuary here