Leeds Refugee Forum Wellbeing Groups were invited by The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Leeds Abigail Marshall Katung to visit Leeds Civic Hall.
The Lord Mayor shared her own immigration experience with our community and gave inspiration through holding a long conversation between herself and our service users.
We were privileged to see the inner workings of Leeds City Mayor’s Office by a guided tour through the Leeds Civic Hall.
Our Women’s Wellbeing Group has a stall at Leeds Kirkgate Market every month. Come along and visit us to browse our unique selection of art, clothing, embroidery and handcrafts.
Attending the market has been a wonderful opportunity for our service users to sell their wares and engage with the local community.
We’d love to see you there – please visit us on October 17th and 18th.
After another wonderful and eventful year at Leeds Refugee Forum, we are happy to present our Annual General Report for 2024. Inside you will find details of all of the projects we run at One Community Centre including our Wellbeing Groups, Bilingual Advocacy, youth provisions, Ukrainian support, Refugee Week, Technology Access and a lot more.
In light of recent far-right violence and targeting of minorities, refugees and asylum seekers, it is crucial for us as trustees, staff and volunteers of the Leeds Refugee Forum to offer our unwavering support to our refugee communities.
The One Community Centre remains a designated hate crime reporting centre, and we encourage anyone facing issues to come forward and report them.
As staff and trustees, we can support our communities by increasing our presence and availability, providing clear information on reporting procedures, and fostering a safe and inclusive environment.
Organising community events that promote understanding and tolerance, and working closely with local authorities to ensure swift action against hate crimes, can further bolster our efforts.
Let us remain vigilant, united, and dedicated to ensuring that the UK remains a place of respect and tolerance for everyone.
Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of those who seek refuge among us.
Ali Mahgoub – Director of Leeds Refugee Forum
For advice, support, or to report a hate crime, contact us:
One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, Lincoln Green, Leeds LS9 7SG
For more information and enquiries, please contact the co-ordinator: Ali Mahgoub, Leeds Refugee Forum, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, Leeds, LS9 7SG. Email: [email protected], Phone: 0113 244 9600 / 07733 171 290.
Monday 17th June 12pm – 3pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG
A mini celebration and discussion about what it means to be at, in and settle in ‘Home’ is the theme of this year’s Refugee Week.
For more information contact the LRF office at 01132449600 or email [email protected]
Monday 17th June 6pm – 8pm, 92 Degrees Coffee, Boar Lane, LS1 6EN
For Refugee Week, we’re displaying a portrait project of people living and working in Harehills about what ‘home’ means to them, some RETAS staff are featuring.
For more information contact Yasir Mohamed [email protected]
Mobile: 07523911197
Monday 17 June 5pm – 6:30pm, Library @ the Lightbox, 1 The Glass Works, Barnsley S70 1GW
Why not have an alternative evening out! Try out some carefree calligraphy with our friendly staff in a safe and welcoming space. You’ll learn the basics of ‘modern’ calligraphy, which is an easier and more accessible form of calligraphy. No need to bring anything, all materials provided.
For more information visit : https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/libraryevents
Tuesday 18th June 11am – 1pm, Second floor: Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP
Join us on level 2 at Leeds Playhouse for a mega conversation cafe. There will hot drinks, games a chance to meet lots of people! Come along and celebrate Refugee Week with us!
For more information email Lily Craig, Special Projects Manager on [email protected]
Tuesday 18th June 12pm – 2pm, Second floor: Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP
Join us at level 2 at Leeds Playhouse for free haircuts by Leeds City College, free nail painting and a soundscape workshop led by Red Ladder Theatre Company.
For more information email Lily Craig, Special Projects Manager on [email protected]
Tuesday 18th June, Second floor: Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP
Space is limited for this event, so booking is required.
This Refugee Week join us for our community kitchen take-over. Serving food from around the world cooked by members of our Theatre of Sanctuary programme. There will be a selection of dishes for you to try.
There will be a small selection of soft drinks available. The food will be PAYF (pay as you feel), however if this is a barrier to you, there is no expectation to donate.
For more information email Lily Craig, Special Projects Manager on [email protected]
Tuesday 18 June, 10:30am – 12:30pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, Leeds, LS9 7SG
The Rainbow Hearts group is facilitated by Women’s Health Matters for asylum seeking women. Group members will gather together to share food and music from different countries.
For more information please contact Emily Lawson on 07909 407 814
Tuesday 18th June 7:30pm – 10pm, Second floor: Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP
Space is limited for this event, so booking is required.
A night full of creativity and talent is hosted on level 2 at Leeds Playhouse. Join us for a night hosted by Wan, Founder of Sanctuary’s Got Talent Just come along and see what Leeds has to offer!
For more information email Lily Craig, Special Projects Manager on [email protected]
Wednesday 19th June 5:30pm – 7:15pm, Courtyard Theatre @ Leeds Playhouse, Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP
The Gala will feature Asmarina Voices women’s choir, our original Theatre of Sanctuary project which helped shape our initial application for our Sanctuary status. Asmarina Voices will also be joined on stage, by Harmony Choir and Headingly Voices Choir.
Our brilliant Hearts Youth Group will be performing a drumming piece, the founder of the City of Sanctuary movement Rev Dr Inderjit Singh Bhogal OBE, the Eritrean Cultural Dancers; plus many more surprise guests.
For more information email Lily Craig, Special Projects Manager on [email protected]
Wednesday 19 June 12:30pm – 2:30pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG
Come join our session filled with fun and games honouring our students and their culture from various countries and backgrounds.
For more information email Oleksandra Suishehova [email protected]
Thursday 20th June 7pm, Howard Assembly Room, Howard Opera Centre, 8 Harrison Street, Leeds, LS1 6PA
Pay What You Can, making the arts accessible for all.
https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/maya-youssef-finding-home/
For this event, choose your ticket price from various options, including a recommended price (this is what we’d traditionally charge for tickets). If you need to pay less or access free tickets, simply select that option. If you can pay more, any amount exceeding the recommended price significantly helps us ensure access to the arts for everyone.
For more information contact Zena Malone (she/her) | Creative Placemaking Assistant | Opera North at [email protected]
Thursday 20th June 12pm – 3pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG
Leeds Refugee Forum Advocacy team are celebrating a year full of support and training for the refugee and asylum seeking communities.
For more information please Donna or Khair on 01132 449600
Thursday 20th June 12pm – 3pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG
Women celebrating Eid and Refugee Week, food and dancing and music. Everyone welcome.
For more information please contact Ranya Abdulateef at [email protected]
Thursday 20th June 12pm – 3pm, One Community Centre, Cromwell Street, LS9 7SG
Celebrating our students heritage with volunteers and teachers. An event filled with fun and games, flag colouring competition and dancing, face painting and snacks.
For more information please contact Gabby Thwaites on 07974 817796
Friday 21th June, 4pm – 8:30pm, Roxby Community Garden, LS9 7LR
Join us for Refugee Week Flourish Party, a family gala where we’ll be celebrating this years Refugee Week theme ‘Our Home’ with performances, stalls, activities and workshops.
Home can be a place, a person, a feeling or a state of mind. The Roxby Community Garden is a place where the Lincoln Green communities diverse experiences, journeys and backgrounds can come together and feel at home. Celebrate with us and explore what home means to you this Refugee Week.
Suitable for all ages. Free entry. Everyone welcome.
For more information please email: [email protected]
Saturday 22nd June 12:30pm – 5pm, Thomas Damby Campus, Community Sport Centre, Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 3BG
Football tournaments are a great way of bringing together RCOs, local communities and agencies football teams in a fun footballing environment. Free to play, 7-a-side teams, refreshments provided. All accompanied by entertainment programmes for families and children.
Ali Mahgoub, Tel: 0113 244 9600 / 07733 171 290, Khair Yacob: 07453927515, David Skivington: 07564 267065
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!
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!
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.
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.
‘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 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.”
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.
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!
0113 244 9600
