Reflections on Refugee Week 2025

As Sanctuary Champion, I’m delighted that Refugee Week 2025 heralded a series of exciting and meaningful events and conversations across Richmond. Bringing together sanctuary seekers, voluntary sector partners, artists, musicians, poets, and residents, we celebrated the theme “Community as Superpower”.

This year celebrations coincided with our Arts & Ideas Festival enabling people to see two thought-provoking performances challenging perceptions around migration and setting the tone for the week to come. The speculative film You Never Know, One Day You Too Might Be a Refugee offered a striking reimagining of the future. Climate-driven disaster forces displacement from unexpected parts of the world, flipping familiar narratives on their head and prompting vital reflection on how we must prepare for a more uncertain world.  You can still catch it online.

At the OSO, Barnes, Memory of Birds - an immersive sound installation by Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury - offered a chance to relax cocooned in hammocks in the trees to experience some moving storytelling on migration, trauma and healing. It also highlighted that migration is deeply rooted in the natural world.

The first community celebration, hosted by Refugees Welcome in Richmond, was an evening of artistic inspiration. It featured powerful stories from Rita Piglionica from Turner’s House who spoke about Tales & Travels, a creative project supporting migrant women; Samira Kitman, who shared her experience of seeking sanctuary and rescuing over 500 endangered artworks by major Afghan artists; and Julia Hall whose beautiful work weaves the stories of refugee women through paintings of the clothes they wear.  

Diversity is our strength was the message of Multicultural Richmond’s lively Unity in Motion – Celebrating our Superpower. The day was filled with high energy zumba, singing, games, and delicious food from around the globe. Uplifting and joyful, there were also moments of poignancy as people reconnected with the cultures and countries they had been forced to leave behind.

At the Council’s Refugee Week event, opened by the Mayor of Richmond and Council Leader Gareth Roberts, large numbers gathered to show their support and solidarity with sanctuary seekers and to mark Richmond’s first anniversary as a Borough of Sanctuary. A vibrant celebration of culture, connection, and community, there were stalls representing our sanctuary seekers as well as our voluntary partners and Council services, offering information and support. Cross cultural conversations abounded over food from around the world and performances of music and dance from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Iran, sub–Saharan Africa and Ukraine.  Everyone dancing to the beat of the African drums was as visible a demonstration of togetherness and community as superpower as I could have dreamt of and will remain with me always

The following day, World Refugee Day, a commemorative York stone was unveiled at Warren Gardens Twickenham, designating it as LBRuT’s first Garden of Sanctuary –  a place of peace and reflection where everyone is welcome. Richmond has a long and proud history of providing refuge – from welcoming Huguenot settlers in the 17th century, Belgian refugees during the First World War, to more recent arrivals from Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Hong Kong and Ukraine.  A video about the History of Sanctuary Seekers in Richmond was also recorded.

Later in the week an important new project, Voices of Richmond Archive, dedicated to preserving the stories and photos of residents who moved to Richmond from other countries was launched at Teddington Library where amongst others, author Zenab Barry shared her story about growing up in Guinea and Mali. These stories are not only personal and powerful — they are an essential part of Richmond’s collective history. A series of workshops is planned.

The week culminated in three exciting events hosted by our Ukrainian Sanctuary Seekers and supported by the Council.  The first was the Ukrainian Social Club’s Kupala Party – a wonderful Ukrainian midsummer tradition, including flower wreath making workshops, live music, a puppet show, artisan market and more, all in support of Ukrainian refugees.  The Club also organised an event at Prosperity Café, Twickenham, where Ukrainian artists Tetyana Virozub and Tetiana Shokha demonstrated how to paint in the beautiful Petrykivka folk style. Meanwhile at St Mary’s Ukrainian School’s satellite at St Richard’s Ham, people were entertained to some beautiful singing, dancing and painting by displaced children who have all fled the on-going war.  Hearing first-hand accounts from those who have lost family members to the conflict was deeply moving and brought home how support from our community in all sorts of ways from small acts of kindness to the provision of key services is vital, often lifesaving and life changing and enables sanctuary seekers to start to heal and make the most of their considerable potential.

Throughout the week, Richmond showed just how powerful a truly welcoming community can be.  A Community which bridges divides, breaks down barriers and builds people up so they in turn enrich our schools, our neighbourhoods, our workplaces, bringing us fresh thinking and new energy.  We are better and stronger when they are part of our family and call Richmond home.  As Zenab Barry says, “…. Home is in my heart…Home will always feel like home”.

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