The British Red Cross will celebrate Refugee Week 2019 at Greater Manchester’s Refugee World Cup tournament in Greater Manchester.
It will take place from 10–5pm on Saturday 22 June at Albert Park, Salford, M7 1JF. Alongside a free picnic, music, a bouncy castle, face painting, henna, a raffle draw and a fire engine parade, teams of football players from Greater Manchester will compete for the coveted trophy.
The event will bring together teams of people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds with long-term residents and anyone is welcome to come and watch.
Free refreshments, cooked by the Real Junk Food Project, which uses food which is out of date but still edible, will be available.
British Red Cross operations manager for refugee support in the North West Rob Arnold said:
“Refugees have so much to offer our communities, and they show incredible resilience and optimism, despite many having been through more than most of us can imagine
“Settling into a new country is not easy, and this is often made more difficult for people who are unfamiliar with the language, or separated from family and friends. Wherever you live in the world, by carrying out a small act of kindness, you can help make refugees in your community feel welcome.
“Come and join us on Saturday. It will be a great day.”
First held in 2000, the Refugee World Cup began as a way to welcome people from Kosovo who had fled the conflict in the Balkans.
The event is organised by Manchester Refugee Support Network (MRSN and Art Reach, in collaboration with the Greater Manchester Refugee Support Partnership (GMRSP) – a partnership between charities British Red Cross, Refugee Action, Rainbow Haven and Revive.
GMRSP aims to provide a more welcoming environment for people who are refugees or are seeking asylum, and help them to integrate into their local communities.
In Greater Manchester, the Red Cross supports asylum seekers and refugees with sessions on health and wellbeing, employability, English, and by providing emergency provisions.
