It was a morning full of solidarity, friendship and respect on England’s south coast as the Brighton Sanctuary Runners got into their stride for the first time.
Graham Clifford, Sanctuary Runners’ founder and Head of International Development, was on hand as over 100 people donned the blue tops and took part in the Preston Park parkrun in the city on a magical Saturday morning.
In partnership with the multi-award winning Brighton Table Tennis club, also a designated Sports Club of Sanctuary, the Brighton Sanctuary Runners had a ball – with a huge thanks going to the local parkrun organisers who made us all feel so welcome.
Sanctuary Runners, a not-for-profit, community integration initiative was founded in Ireland in 2018 and over the last six-and-a-half years has seen some 15,000 people take part in a Sanctuary Runner activity. Our aim is to use running, jogging and walking to bring everyone in the community together – with a special emphasis on migrants, refugees and our friends seeking international protection. To see people as people – not as labels.
Commenting on Saturday’s launch Graham Clifford said: “It was electric and we are so grateful to Tim and his team at the Brighton Table Tennis club for all their energy, enthusiasm and organisation. I could just feel the desire for the group to be set up in Brighton and am so excited to see how it will grow. Brighton Sanctuary Runners is open to everyone and I loved meeting people such as Ismail from Sudan, Anwar from Kurdistan and so many other wonderful people on Saturday morning.”
While Brighton Sanctuary Runners is the organisation’s first full group in the UK its hoped many more such groups will be established in the UK and elsewhere internationally over the coming years.
To find out more about Sanctuary Runners visit Sanctuaryrunners.ie or to contact Brighton Sanctuary Runners email: Brightonsanctuaryrunners@gmail.com