‘THINKING BACK’ – a new song with images

Words and Music by Alan Sprung / Sung by Ella Sprung ( Sponsored by Coventry City Council )

For copies of the CD please email: alansprung@care4free.net

Coventry Launch Event

Coventry launched it’s quest to become a City of Sanctuary in September 2008 with an event which over 100 enthusiastic people attended. On March 2nd 2011 after much hard work and lots of fun we were awarded City of Sanctuary status

This amazing achievement is as a result of a committed working group who have met every month and organised lots of events and projects and also 77 organisations across the city all doing what they can to make the city more welcoming.

The status is fantastic but we must always keep up the drive, especially since the current economic climate means some good organisations are closing and also the pressure of poverty is causing more hostility to people from other countries.

Coventry is a multi-cultural city and is known as a ‘City of Peace and Reconciliation’. In order for it to be a place of sanctuary it must be a city where

• the skills and cultures of people seeking sanctuary are valued, they are included in local communities and able to contribute to the life of the city

• community groups, local government, media, business, schools and colleges have a shared commitment to offering sanctuary so that it is seen as part of the city’s identity by local people

• people seeking sanctuary can easily build relationships with local people as neighbours, friends and colleagues

• through these relationships, local people come to understand the injustices refugees face and become motivated to support and defend them.

The images below are by Year 9 pupils at Blue Coat School. They were asked by their teacher what sanctuary means to them. We displayed their work in the window of an empty city centre shop throughout Coventry’s two-week Peace Festival in November and then made them into a City of Sanctuary calendar.

You can spot more of their work on other pages