Thank you for attending the Hook Lecture 2023.
If you’ve been inspired by Inderjit’s talk to show hospitality and welcome to all, here are some ways you can start:
Churches of Sanctuary
Are you part of a Church of Sanctuary?
Churches should be welcoming places of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
Find out how your church can sign up with support from Inderjit. Helen Reid will be delighted to tell you more, please email her on [email protected].
You can find out more about Inderjit’s work at City of Sanctuary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and Inderjit’s website.
WYDAN (West Yorkshire Destitute Asylum Network)
A few questions were asked at the lecture about support for people seeking asylum in light of news about policy changes, and moving people out of hotel accommodation.
WYDAN (West Yorkshire Destitute Asylum Network) is a registered charity and they provide a night shelter over the winter months for destitute asylum seekers in Leeds. They are in need of volunteers for their night shelter based in Gipton, East Leeds.
They open the shelter, and the guests arrive at 5pm, receive a warm welcome and evening meal and breakfast in the morning.
The shifts available are 5pm-10pm (socialising and sharing the evening meal) and 10pm-7am or 9am. They also need cooks for the evening meal, and can send further information about this.
You do not need experience for the roles as training is provided, however they are looking for volunteers who are friendly, good communicators and have compassion for some of the most marginalized in our society. You will receive ongoing support and will be able to access occasional training.
Please email [email protected] for further information and to register.
Reading List
To continue your learning, here’s a list of recommended reading suggested by Inderjit. We’ve included links to purchase the books from the publishers.
- Hospitality and Sanctuary for All by Inderjit Bhogal
- A Hundred Thousand Welcomes by Tiffy Allan
- Refuge: Transforming a broken refugee system by Alexander Betts and Paul Collier
- Sea Prayer by Khalid Hosseini
- Nomad Century: How to survive the climate upheaval by Gaia Vince
- Towards a Theology of Migration by Gemma Tulud Cruz