City of Sanctuary festival

A SUMMER-long series of events is set to be held in Sheffield to mark its status as Britain's first City of Sanctuary.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th Jun 2010, 22:36 BST

Updated 11th Jun 2010, 22:36 BST

The Sheffield Summer of Sanctuary festival will be launched in Devonshire Green tomorrow with music, dance, exhibitions and speeches from noon.

The Cabinet member for communities at Sheffield Council, Shaffaq Mohammed, said: "This year, as the city bids for UK City of Culture, we are building upon our pioneering history of supporting those who need a safe and welcoming haven by hosting a summer extravaganza to highlight the contributions refugees and asylum seekers have made to our city."

Sheffield was the first city in the UK to take in refugees under the United Nations Gateway Protection programme and in 2007, it declared itself the country's first City of Sanctuary.

A Sheffield Council spokesman said: "It is not about encouraging more asylum seekers to come to Sheffield. But in a City of Sanctuary new arrivals are treated with understanding and respect, in a way local people can be proud of."