Refugee families welcomed to Lewisham with special reception
Yesterday evening, the Mayor and Cllr Kevin Bonavia, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Refugees and Accountability, were joined by some of the 55 refugee families who have been resettled in Lewisham since 2018, as well as local community groups and partner organisations.
At the reception, Nabeel, an Iraqi refugee who arrived in the UK with his family last year, spoke about his experiences since settling in Lewisham and thanked everybody involved in helping support the resettlement programme.
It was the first time families had been able to come together in person since the pandemic and celebrate Lewisham becoming the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary. Lewisham was officially recognised by the national charity – City of Sanctuary – for its work supporting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants last year.
With plans in place to resettle 110 refugee families, Lewisham has the most ambitious refugee resettlement programme in London. Working in partnership with the Refugee Council, Lewisham Council has already welcomed 10 families from Afghanistan in recent months and stands ready to support and resettle Ukrainian refugees forced to flee the country following the Russian invasion.
Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, said:
“Resettling refugee families has been a vital part of our work as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary. It is lovely to see how well our refugee families are settling in Lewisham and I want to thank everybody involving in supporting our refugee resettlement programme.”
“Now more than ever, the importance of offering sanctuary to those fleeing violence and conflict is clear. Just as we have welcomed families from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, we stand ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees too.”
Cllr Kevin Bonavia, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Refugees and Accountability, said:
“It has been a huge honour to lead our work resettling refugees in Lewisham over the last four years. We are proud to have the most ambitious refugee resettlement programme in London and I am grateful to our partner organisations and the local community groups who have helped make this possible.
"Speaking to our refugee families, you hear how welcome they have been made to feel since settling in Lewisham. That is testament to the open and inclusive character of our residents and the hard work that has gone in to ensuring Lewisham is truly a Borough of Sanctuary for all.”