Spring has finally sprung in Brighton, and people are starting to emerge into the sunshine. It’s been a long, hard winter for all of us and it’s lovely to see people getting together again.
Pub quiz, 2nd June
We are making our own small contribution to the cause of togetherness with a real-life event this coming week. You are warmly invited to join us on Wednesday 2nd June from 7.30pm for a pub quiz at The Ruby Pub and Hotel, Coldean Lane.
Places are limited to 60 to enable social distancing, so if you’d like to come along, please book your tickets now.
There will be a mix of questions on current affairs, general knowledge, music and all sorts from our good friend and quizzer supreme Deborah Lennard. Teams can have a maximum of 5 people, so why not bring a few of your most knowledgeable friends?
The Ruby is at the bottom of Coldean Lane (BN1 9GD), easily reachable by 24 or 25 bus. The kitchen will be serving delicious pizzas (vegan options available) and there will be a raffle.
We hope to see you there!
New life, new directions
Last month we brought you the sad news about the loss of our friend Ken. This month’s news from our residents is happier. In March, we were able to offer a home for a young woman who was expecting a baby. Her son has now been born and the two of them have moved on to temporary accommodation provided by the council.
One of our other residents has passed her medical exams this month, and – when the Home Office make a decision on her asylum claim – is looking forward to resuming her career as a doctor in the UK.
She was able to prepare well for the exam because she is in stable housing supported by Thousand 4 £1000. This is the good stuff that happens when a community comes together.
We are here
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants published an important report this month, based on original research looking at the lives and experiences of undocumented migrants in the UK.
Bringing together statistics, testimony of lawyers and personal stories, this report is a powerful and essential read for anyone who wants to understand the human impact of the UK’s Hostile Environment policies.
Your donations help to soften some of these impacts, for the few people we are able to support in Brighton. But the system as a whole remains deeply inhumane.
These are our neighbours, let them go!
Finally, we were inspired this month by the amazing solidarity of the community in Pollokshields, Glasgow, who prevented immigration officials from detaining two men by physically surrounding the van until they were released.
We are far from complacent about the situation for migrants in the UK, but actions like this give us hope and remind us that it is possible to create real solidarity across our differences.
