Ripon has a long history as a place of sanctuary
Ripon has a long history as a place of sanctuary, and our goal is to help continue that. In 937, King Athelstan created a ring of sanctuary around Ripon by placing eight crosses on the roads approaching the city, with the cathedral at the centre. Only one of these now remains but you can still follow the Sanctuary Way Walk around the city.
Ripon City of Sanctuary was established much more recently, in 2016, but we are proud to continue the idea of sanctuary in our city. As part of the national network of City of Sanctuary groups, we help to promote a culture of welcome for asylum-seekers and refugees both within our area and nationally.
To help to build this culture of welcome, our local group gets involved in:
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- Local awareness-raising– helping share information about the way asylum is handled in the UK and what life is like here for asylum-seekers and refugees
- Schools of Sanctuary – working to build a generation of children and young people across the city who understand asylum issues
- Campaigning – reminding our government that we and huge numbers of British citizens are concerned about the rights and treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers
- Supporting local Syrian refugees – putting our concern for refugees into practice on our own doorstep
- Welcoming and aiding refugees from beyond Ripon – networking with other support groups within the region.