Leeds Refugee Week – Leeds Refugee Forum

Monday 16th June

Celebrate the Power of Community at Meeting Point

2:30pm – 4:30pm, Christ Church, Armley Ridge Road, Leeds, LS12 3LE

Part of Meeting Point’s regular drop-in, this celebration will focus on the power of togetherness, connection, and shared support. We warmly invite our partners and their beneficiaries to join us for an afternoon of socialising, a hot meal, food parcels, and a welcoming environment to connect and celebrate.

For more information, contact Asiyeh Soork on 07514184638 or email [email protected]

Tuesday 17th June

Self-Advocacy Workshop

10:00am – 12:00 noon, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG

Learn how to speak up for your rights in order to access services and get the support you need. This workshop will explain what self-advocacy is and introduce you to some tools we can provide to help you communicate your needs and wishes . It is open to everyone, and the LRF advocacy team will be around to answer questions and signpost you to the best place for any help you need. We’d love to see you there.

For more information contact LRF at 01132449600 or email [email protected]

‘Who Am I? North African Narratives’ – Leeds International African Arts Festival

10:30am – 12:30pm, Civic Hall, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 1UR

An exploration of North African creativity in the North West of England, Leeds and beyond. Join Jessica El Mal (Manchester/Morocco) of the Arab British Centre chair a panel with Hannaa Hamdache (Leeds/Algeria) Mohammad Sultan (Manchester/ Libya) to find out more about their work, engage in cross-community dialogue and celebrate North African heritage and its impact on contemporary diaspora identities in the UK.

For more information contact Ndidi Nkwopara: [email protected] or visit
www.tickettailor.com/events/leedsinternationalafricanartsfestival2025/1595684

Leeds Volunteer Interpreting Service (LVIS) Launch Party

1:00pm – 8:00pm, New Headingley Club, 56 Saint Michael’s Road, LS63BG

Join us for a networking event from 2:00pm – 5:00pm, followed by food & entertainment from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. It’s going to be a great day of connection & celebration!

For more information contact Sara: [email protected] or call 0793 646 1442

Children’s Celebration for Refugee Week

4:30pm – 7:00pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS97SG

LRF Homework Club will be celebrating our diverse group with country flag decorating/painting, face painting snacks and games. This event is only for children from the Homework Club, their parents/guardians, volunteers and staff.

For more information, contact Sarah Klaa at 01132449600 or [email protected]

Wednesday 18th of June

ESOL Achievement Celebration: Honouring Educators, Volunteers & Learners

12 noon-2:30pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS97SG

This celebration is to honour our students, teachers and volunteers and their various backgrounds and countries of origin. We will share foods from everyones country of origin and celebrate the student’s hard work. This event is only for LRF ESOL students, staff and volunteers.

For more information contact Oleksanda: 01132449600 / [email protected]

Brighter Futures: Youth Safety Celebration

5:00pm – 7:30pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS97SG

As part of our community safety initiative, young people from our youth group will mark Refugee Week with a special event celebrating their achievements. The day will feature international games, cultural activities, and a safety talk delivered by community partners and local police — recognising the positive contributions of youth in building a safer, more inclusive community.

For more information contact Khair at 01132449600 / [email protected]

‘Our Voices, Our Words’ – Exhibition Launch and Poetry Sharing

Doors 5:30pm, performances 6:00pm – 8:00pm, Thackray Museum of Medicine, LS97LN

You are invited to join us for an evening of live poetry and spoken word from writers who took part in the creative writing session, and a chance to see the exhibition of poems around the museum. This is an alcohol-free event, light refreshments will be provided.

For more information contact Ezra at [email protected]

LASSN x RETAS Present: Film Screening & Panel Discussion

6:30pm, Hyde Park Picturehouse, Leeds, LS6 1JD

LASSN and RETAS are joining forces with Hyde Park Picturehouse and Leeds International Film Festival to bring you a special screening of ‘We Dare To Dream’ which follows the refugee Olympic team on their journeys to success. This screening will also host a panel discussion from those with lived experience.
For more information please contact Lorna Gray at [email protected] or 07523911196

Thursday 19th June

Wellbeing in Community: Supporting Refugee Mental Health

10:00am – 12:30pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG

This event aims to create a safe and inclusive space for individuals from diverse backgrounds to discuss mental health, reduce stigma, and build tools for community-led support. Refreshments provided and travel expenses reimbursed.

For more information contact Ranya or Ali at 01132449600 or [email protected]

Film Screening & Art Workshop

From 6:00 pm, St Luke’s Church, Malvern Rd, Holbeck, Leeds, LS11 8PD

We’re screening a very special film – ‘Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza’, for our community with an art workshop beforehand to creatively express ourselves. Free to all.

For more information please contact Lorna Gray at [email protected] or 07523911196

Short Film Festival

Doors 6:00pm
First Set of Films: 6:30pm-7:15pm
Second Set of Films: – 7:45pm-8:30pm
Archive, Kirkstall Road, LS3 1HD

Join Leeds Asylum Seeker Support Network (LASSN) at Archive for a night of powerful storytelling. Through two sets of short films, you’ll see multiple different perspectives on life as a refugee/ asylum seeker, from all around the world. Tickets available at: www.eventbrite.com/e/lassn-refugee-week-short-film-festival-tickets-1381952780969. Alternatively, if you cannot pay the Eventbrite fee, then please contact [email protected] for alternative ticket arrangements. Sugested donation £5 -10.

For more information call 01133731759 or email [email protected]

Friday 20th June

RETAS Art Exhibition: ‘Between Two Worlds’

from 9:00am, RETAS, 233-237 Roundhay Rd, Harehills, Leeds, LS8 4HS

Between the past and the unknown future, between loss and hope, lies the refugee experience—a space of transition, memory, and resilience. Between Two Worlds invites artists to reflect on this space through personal, political, or poetic lenses.

For more information please contact Lorna Gray at [email protected] or 07523911196

Whispers from Damascus – Opera North

Doors 7:00pm, show begins 7:45pm, The Howard Assembly Room, 32 New Briggate, LS1 6NU

Join us for a celebration of this year’s World Refugee Day with four leading musicians from Syria who are now based in the UK. Throughout the evening, they will share their passion for the evocative music and traditional instruments of their home country, while exploring what it means to play contemporary Arab music today. Price: pay as you can.

For more information visit www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/whispers-from-damascus/

Saturday 21st June

Refugee World Cup 2025 (RCOs, Agencies and Organisations)

12.30 pm-5.00 pm, Thomas Danby Sports Centre, Roundhay Road, LS73BG

Football tournaments are a great way of bringing together RCOs, local communities and agencies’ football teams in a fun environment. Free to play, 7-a-side teams, refreshments provided. There will also be entertainment for families and children.

To register your team contact Ali Mahgoub: 0113 244 9600 / 07733171290, Khair Yacob: 07453927515 or David Skivington: 07564 267065

Sunday 22nd June

Family Flourish Day – Mafwa Theatre

4:00pm – 8:00pm, Roxby Community Garden, Lindsey Rd, Leeds, LS9 7LR

Join Mafwa Theatre for their Family Flourish Day – a joyful summer celebration held in the Roxby Community Garden. Expect a vibrant mix of performances, creative workshops, and hands-on activities for all ages – plus delicious food and plenty of garden joy. We’re joined by Chapel FM, Clowns Without Borders, Harmony Choir, the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Bike Mill, the Lincoln Greeners, Space2, and more – plus: Dance workshops with Cookie Wang and Enisia Mashusha, family-friendly stalls, and interactive activities throughout the day. The event is free and everyone is welcome – come dance, eat, play and celebrate!

For more information email Molly: [email protected]

We had an action-packed week filled with events to celebrate our diverse and incredible refugee and asylum seeker communities.

We would like to extend a special thank you to all of our service users, volunteers, and staff for making Refugee Week 2022 the success it was!

Leeds Refugee Week World Cup

Twenty 7-a-side teams played head to head on Saturday 18th June. All the teams played incredibly and it was great to see so many different communities at our tournament. Congratulations to the Eritrean first team for winning the tournament.

As everyone who has attended a Refugee World Cup football tournament will know, these events are a great way of bringing together Refugee Community Organisations, local communities and agencies together in a fun footballing environment.

A massive thank you to everyone who participated, supported and watched. We hope to make this event more frequent due to its great popularity and our recent partnership with Leeds United, who were a massive help prior to and during the tournament!

A Roxby Close Get Together

Mafwa Theatre recently held a Refugee Week community festival in celebration of the brand new Roxby Close community garden.

Born out of the communities desire for a green space in the midst of such a densely populated urban area, the Lincoln Greening project aims to transform a disused playground into an attractive, eco-friendly open green space with seating, planting and areas to meet and play. The local community will be able to use this space to grow food, join workshops, meet friends, eat picnics and enjoy the garden.

Mafwa have worked with Leeds Refugee Forum and Lincoln Green residents, conducting a series of community consultations to find out what the Lincoln green residents would want from a communal green space. Earlier this year they unveiled the garden design plans by Zosia Berkieta-Lewis and launched the Lincoln Greeners gardening group who have been learning sustainable gardening tips and putting in new plant beds, contributing to the area’s redesign process and giving members the chance to take ownership of the site.

‘A Roxby Close Get Together’ took place on June 18th. There was a fantastic turn with the community gathering to celebrate the progress made in the space ahead of its completion next year. The event included the reveal of a colourful new mural designed by artist Jenna Coulthard and members of the community and the launch of ‘Photogreening’, a photography installation mapping out the gardens and green spaces of Lincoln green, created by photographer Emily Ryalls and Mafwa members. People explored the new garden beds designed by the Lincoln Greeners, made their own herbal teas, created prints with Lutra Studios, had their faces painted, danced to music courtesy of Sable Radio and enjoyed some tasty dahl.

Site construction will continue into 2023, with furniture and planting being installed later this year. The garden will be available for community groups to run workshops in the near future and a performance space within the garden will be available for community led programming in future years.

Celebrating Us Together at RETAS

On Monday 20th June, RETAS hosted a gathering of refugees of different countries and communities across Leeds. Everyone shared their stories and celebrate the contribution of refugees to our local community. We came together to highlight resilience and impact of refugees in our local community.

Our Walk With Little Amal

‘The Walk with Amal’ is a celebration of migration and cultural diversity that tells the story of the contributions made by asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. It represents the refugee story as one of potential, success, respect, hospitality and kindness.

The streets of Leeds city centre were filled with joy and celebration as ‘Little’ Amal showed us that refugees and asylum seekers are welcome in Leeds!

Our staff and service users had a wonderful time enjoying the atmosphere and message that the event sent. As a result, the Walk was a joyous occasion which celebrated Refugee communities- exactly what Refugee Week is all about.

Thank you Amal, we hope to see you in Leeds again next year!

Rainbow Heart’s Refugee Week Celebration at Leeds Refugee Forum

Rainbow Hearts meets every Tuesday 10.00a.m- 12.30p.m and is a group for women seeking asylum in Leeds and is supported by Leeds City Council. At Rainbow Hearts, women of all ages come together to give and receive emotional support from other women who have had similar experiences. Health and social support information sessions are offered around topics such as self-care, well-being and healthy eating. They offer creative sessions such as therapeutic art activities, singing and movement. Rainbow Hearts is a project run by Women’s Health Matters.

Rainbow Hearts celebrated Refugee Week by watching Rosemary’s Way film with popcorn at Leeds Refugee Forum where the group meets every week. The group enjoyed it a lot and found their stories told within the film “very powerful and motivational. I am motivated, inspired and encouraged by this documentary.”

Refugees Welcome at Hyde Park Book Club

Thank you Hyde Park Book Club for your hospitality, music and laughter! Our staff, volunteers, and service users had such a great experience on Tuesday 21st June listening to music and eating delicious food. We hope this will be the start of our communities enjoying, sharing, and creating art together.

Leeds Refugee Forum’s Cultural Day

Our cultural day was incredible! Our diverse and vibrant refugee communities participated in traditional folk dance and music. We enjoyed performances from the Sudanese, Eritrean, Ukrainian, Kurdish, Afghan, and Iranian communities. There was a display collection of cultural and heritage item by different communities, a tradition costume fashion show, national food and we offered stands and tables to the communities and other organisations such as the Hope Trust.

We cannot wait to do it all over again next year!

Category: Leeds Refugee Week

Refugee Week 2025 Calendar