Lambeth Council’s Adult Learning Service has worked with people fleeing war and political persecution to create a new guide to life in the UK for sanctuary seekers arriving in the UK.
The idea was to capture the lived experience of sanctuary seekers and share it as peer support for people looking for help in Lambeth.
Eleven sanctuary seekers who are now living in Lambeth were invited to take part in a training course called Shared Stories: A Digital Guide to Life in the UK.
Captured in words and pictures
The sanctuary seekers started by sharing their first-hand experiences of coming to the UK, and information they wished they’d had in those first days after arrival.
The week-long course moved on to training in skills to use the online design software programme, Canva. The course was held at Surrey County Cricket Club’s Ben Hollioake Learning Centre at the Kia Oval with training provided by Lambeth’s local training partners High Trees Community Association. The Centre is well known to local primary schools but this was the centre’s first course for adult learners.
A guide for new arrivals
The new guide, titled ‘Welcome to Lambeth, a Guide for Individuals Seeking Asylum’, includes practical information for new arrivals to the UK such as:
- ‘Get your children enrolled in school as soon as possible’
- ‘Free therapy is available through the NHS and the Refugee Council’
- ‘Learn English – speaking English will help you access more opportunities’
Sharing the message
‘Welcome to Lambeth’ was launched on 16 June, the first day of World Refugee Week, at the Karibu Centre in Brixton to sanvctuary seekers housed in Lambeth ‘s refugee hotels. Lambeth’s Sanctuary Services will share the guide in the borough, replacing one produced by the council with this guide created from first-hand lived experience.
Message of hope
The creative team who wrote and designed the new guide said:
“Thank you to Lambeth for all your support. Thank you for planting this tree and encouraging it to grow. This is the start of something. We are ambitious to become pillars of the community, to do lots of things for the community. That is why we all need to stay in touch. Together we can not only make dreams come true, but make miracles happen.”
Word from the Cabinet
Cllr Nanda Manley-Browne, Cabinet member for Healthier Communities, said: “This week is about more than awareness — it’s about action. And in Lambeth, our commitment to being a Borough of Sanctuary means standing up for the rights and wellbeing of people seeking safety.
“As someone raised in a West African household by parents who came to the UK, I know how essential it is to feel seen, safe, and informed when navigating unfamiliar systems. That’s why this guide matters. Let’s keep building a Lambeth where everyone, regardless of where they’re from, can not only survive, but thrive.”
Future partnership
Jon Surtees, Surrey County Cricket Club’s Head of Community, Public Affairs and Projects, looks forward to working with Lambeth on more adult education projects: “We’re really excited to partner with Lambeth on important programmes such as this. I hope the document will help make people feel welcome and ensure they are able to access the services available to them in the UK.”
More information
- Find out more about Lambeth Adult Learning
- Find out more about High Trees Education & Training
- Find out more about Lambeth Sanctuary Services
- More about the Ben Hollioake Learning Centre & Surrey County Cricket Club at the Oval
