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Welcome to the Carlisle City of Sanctuary home page. We are delighted to be part of the national City of Sanctuary movement.

Carlisle City of Sanctuary was launched on the 3rd September 2020 to coincide with the the 5th anniversary of Carlisle Refugee Action Group (CRAG). Carlisle City of Sanctuary is also part of Carlisle One World Centre, a registered charity.

Cumbria has always played an active role in supporting those who find themselves having to leave a country they once called home and local people recently marked the 75th anniversary of the arrival of 300 young Jewish holocaust survivors to Carlisle Airport and onwards to Calgarth Estate in Windermere where they were welcomed to the UK. CRAG works closely with Cumbria County Council’s Refugee Resettlement Team and other partners to help a group of families from Syria, Afghanistan and other countries experiencing conflict and instability, successfully settle into the Carlisle community. In 2022 we have been welcoming a group of asylum seekers  and several Ukrainian families to the city as they all seek refuge away from the war, violence and persecution.

A range of supports are in place for refugees and asylum seekers living in the city through some of our City of Sanctuary Network partners and Carlisle City of Sanctuary will ensure that there is always a welcome in Carlisle to those who come to seek a place of safety here.

Contact us by email [email protected] to find out more about the Network, how to get involved and other projects.