Essegas amegas! ርሑስ በዓል ልደት ይግበረልኩም! Yesterday we enjoyed double celebrations - Eritrean Christmas and Berber New Year. Sweets are traditionally poured over the youngest child as a symbol of prosperity for the year ahead.

We were delighted to welcome over 40 people to our recent AGM and celebrate the wonderful community we are! Please take a look at our most recent Annual Report and do get in touch if you would like to arrange a visit!

Hi everyone! Lots of things are thrown at us right now. The truth is, migration is life. We will stay connected, look after each other and spread solidarity and love, to build a society that protects us all. #RefugeesWelcome #NoOneIsIllegal #TheseWallsMustFall

We love working with so many incredible, inclusive schools of sanctuary who model the possibility of creating welcoming, compassionate communities where everyone's humanity is respected. These schools give us so much hope for the future and we are looking forward to a new year working with them too!

People seeking asylum have so much to offer the UK. So why are these talented, resilient people BANNED from working? Make it make sense. #LiftTheBan

MOBILE PHONES NEEDED We are desperate for some mobile phones for some of the sanctuary seekers we support. We are looking for functioning unlocked smart phones. If you have one, please email [email protected] Thanks!

We’re joining 200+ orgs to say enough. These racist actions do not have broad public support. Yet the government and the media are fuelling them with hateful and divisive rhetoric. It's time to take responsibility and change the tune. #TogetherWithRefugees www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Today we join over 200 orgs to stand in solidarity with those affected by the recent anti-refugee protests, many of whom have already fled unimaginable horrors to try to find safety.⁠ ⁠ Read the letter below 👇 @refugeestogether.bsky.social

Let's take a moment to celebrate the incredible @cityofsanctuaryuk.bsky.social movement. While a hateful minority spend their time whipping up division, this network of thousands dedicate themselves to welcome and kindness. These are the people who represent the UK that we're proud to be part of.

The people hurling abuse and bringing violence to our streets want to create a country of strangers. But we're so proud of the country we see every day: where communities work together to welcome newcomers and defend the right to seek sanctuary. We know which country we'd rather be.

An exceptionally busy Refugee Week is drawing to a close safe in the knowledge that Community really is a Superpower. The struggle goes on, but so does the celebration and the finding of joy, love and hope!

Great night at The Exchange with @unibirmingham.bsky.social  as part of the #RefugeeWeek celebrations! RMC's Danai took part in the discussion along with @asylummatters.bsky.social  and @storiesofhome.bsky.social  with live music, discussion and shared stories 🧡

We were so happy to be with you for your day of action yesterday! We were very impressed by your compassion, your empathy and your commitment to making the world a place where everyone is welcome and included. The future is bright!

HAPPY REFUGEE WEEK 2025 🙌🏻🙌🏻 We'd love YOU to join us: (TONIGHT) Fri 20th June- Restore Annual Celebration (@ St Martin’s in the Bullring Church at 7.15pm) ! Sat 21st June- we are meeting at Moseley Exchange at 11am to join in the Refugee Welcome March. #birminghamcityofsanctuary#refugeeweek

Our theme this year for Refugee Week is 'Community as a Superpower'. As bell hooks says “We can begin the process of making community wherever we are. We can begin by sharing a smile, a warm greeting, a bit of conversation; by doing a kind deed or by acknowledging kindness offered to us.”

This #RefugeeWeek, #OurSuperpower is solidarity. Our amazing communities are filled with incredible people with a huge range of different experiences. Our solidarity is what unites us, makes us speak up for each other, and ensures we'll never be strangers.

HAPPY REFUGEE WEEK!🥳 This #RefugeeWeek, #OurSuperpower is building a movement of welcome for people seeking sanctuary in the UK. This week, and every week, we know that community is our superpower.

Refugee Week is here and we have had a great start to the week: the empathy, compassion and warmth of welcome we saw from all the students at St Mary's School in Sandwell was a reminder that Community really is a Superpower! @refugeeweek.bsky.social

This Fathers' Day we are thinking of all the fathers who have been forced to seek safety, often making impossible decisions, to bring their children with them, or to leave them behind.

Want your kids to have a better understanding of people seeking sanctuary? Ahead of Refugee Week later this month, the team behind A Day of Welcome have put together this reading list for children to help to encourage conversation and understanding of refugees: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

!عيد مبارك! Eid Mubarak to all our friends who are celebrating today!

Some might try to divide our communities for political gain, but we see every single day how people go out of their way to welcome newcomers and speak out for the rights of people seeking sanctuary. Share if the Britain you recognise is an island of solidarity, not of strangers.

This Volunteers' Week we especially want to give a big shout out to all of our participants who volunteer their time to share their stories to educate snd inspire the next generation! You are amazing!

It's Volunteers' Week and we want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who donates their time to support us. We appreciate you!

Home Office signing/reporting/detention meeting We want to see if there is interest in getting together a group of volunteers to lead on this work. DATE: Wed 25th June TIME: 6-8pm WHERE: to be decided when we know who is coming/from where. Could be an online or face to face meeting

Our current project involves us writing letters from and about different experiences we have had in our lives. In our most recent session, we took a break from writing, to design stamps representing our home countries and the UK

Could you make a difference & befriend a refugee? Find out more at our training course on Saturday 7 June. To find out more www.restore-uk.org/news/restore... #RefugeesWelcome #volunteer @birmctogether.bsky.social @bvscbirmingham.bsky.social @cityofsanctuaryuk.bsky.social

When irresponsible politicians try to divide our communities, what do we do? We speak up, we stand together, we stay strong. We are, and always will be, an island of solidarity, not of strangers. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Our friends Helena & Francis have made it to Santiago after 2000km cycling across France & Spain! Plus they've hit their fundraising target! Congratulations! Their Journey of Hope isn't over as they'll be cycling on to the coast and it's definitely not too late to still donate to the appeal either

The debrief. Why this parliament must lift the ban on work for people seeking asylum. Got 5 mins? Read our full report with the Lift The Ban coalition: www.refugee-action.org.uk/wp-content/u... Got 60 seconds spare? Read this thread! 🧵

It's exam season so we want to remind the many children and young people we have met that, whatever your results, you fill us with hope for the future. Your SATs/GCSEs/Alevels will not measure your empathy and compassion, your commitment to building a better world. Never forget what really matters!

Thank you to @britishredcross.bsky.social for running a basic First Aid course for us this afternoon: sharing valuable life-saving skills that everyone should know!

Our friends Helena and Francis have made it across the border and into Spain on their "journey of hope" to Santiago, following the camino pilgrim way and raising funds for us at the same time. You can donate here: www.justgiving.com/page/francis...

The weather was much too nice for us to stay indoors for our session today, so we had a lovely afternoon exploring Moseley Bog.

Our friends Francis and Helena are cycling over 2000km from Vézelay in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, following the Pilgrim Way of St. James, whilst also raising money and awareness for our charity. Please share, and sponsor if you can: www.justgiving.com/page/francis...

Happy Easter to all our friends who are celebrating today!

And that's a wrap on our school visits for the spring term! We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone has welcomed us. Your compassion, empathy and desire to create fairer systems and more welcoming communities is a great source of hope!

On Mother's Day we think of all the sanctuary-seeking mothers. Those making impossible choices and dangerous journeys. Those separated from their children. Those prevented from giving their children what they need. Those who just want to keep their kids safe and give them a better future.

عيد مبارك! Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating today! Wishing you a very blessed and special time. Thinking of those, away from home or family, for whom celebration times can be especially hard.

We were a couple of days late, but we had a wonderful day celebrating Nowruz yesterday, with a party and shared iftar meal. نوروز مبارک ! 💐

What is life really like inside an asylum hotel? Isolating, frightening, dehumanising. Banned from working, from choosing your own food, from starting to rebuild your life. Share this with anyone who thinks people forced to live in hotels are living in luxury.

Calling all campaigners for refugee rights 📢 The Home Secretary has an unmissable opportunity to unlock talents, supercharge the economy, and give people seeking safety the dignity they deserve. Call on her to lift the ban on work for people seeking asylum.

Today we were at St Teresa's for our 30th school visit of the academic year (and 8th this month)! A huge thank you to you, and to all the many schools who have welcomed us in recent weeks and months. The engagement and empathy we see from the children we meet fills us with hope for the future!

Wishing a happy, healthy and blessed Ramadan to all our friends who began fasting today or will do tomorrow

It's been a busy half term of school visits: we are grateful to the nine schools who have welcomed us and to the 13 project participants who have shared their stories at one or more of these encounters. Thank you, all, for the hope you give us for the future!

We loved visiting your school and were very impressed by your thoughtful reflections, your interesting questions, your empathy and your compassion. Well done and thank you everyone!

We did two wonderful school visits this week, meeting year 7 at Edmund Campion Catholic School and everyone at Warton Nethersole Primary school. We were so appreciative of the warm welcome and so impressed by the empathy and compassion we saw from all of you!

Sorry! We are having email issues! Please send a message here or use our gmail address not the storiesofhome.org.uk one while we resolve the problem!

We really enjoyed our visit to ChristChurch CofE school earlier this week! Thank you so much for having us and for engaging so thoughtfully with our stories. We were very impressed by the empathy and compassion you all showed. @brumschofsanctuary.bsky.social

We have decided that we will shortly be leaving X. This is not a decision we have reached easily or lightly. In the past it has been a valuable way for us to communicate our work and connect with communities. Please do read our statement about why we have made this decision.