Quakers believe that there is ‘that of God in everyone’: this leads us to work to welcome those seeking sanctuary into our community, and to challenge the ‘hostile environment’ for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

Quakers join Asylum Group because they have an active concern about asylum and refugee issues. It is open to any member or attender who shares these concerns (the group does not use a Quaker nominations process). Contact: Barbara Forbes (details i the green book), or Peace Hub: office@peacehub.org.uk

Activities in 2024 included making Valentine’s Day cards to send to MPs and creating “Quakers Welcome Refugees” banners for several Meeting Houses. These activities were well-supported across the Area Meeting and we are very grateful for the sterling support of our AM Support Administrator. We also took part in the creation of an “Orange Heart” mobile which was displayed in the Peace Hub window during Refugee Week. (The Orange Heart is the symbol of Together With Refugees, which is a coalition of over 400 groups and networks across the country).

We hope that Friends will continue to support the group both by joining in our future activities, by organising discussions in local Meetings, and by taking part in the work of the Focus Group which has been created within the new Peace Hub structure – everybody is invited to contribute!

We have good links with Restore (a project run by Churches Together in Birmingham) & Birmingham City of Sanctuary and some of our members are active in the national Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network.