13 June 2017
Church events set to mark The Great Get Together and Refugee Week in June
- Great Get Together picnic in Dane John Gardens, Canterbury
- Refugee Week film showing at the Gulbenkian
Two national initiatives aimed at bringing people together - The Great Get Together weekend (17 to 18 June) and Refugee Week (19 to 23 June) - are set to be marked locally by churches and communities across East Kent in June.
The Great Get Together is the idea of the family of the murdered MP Jo Cox, and was inspired by her belief that ‘there is more that unites us than divides us.’ In that spirit, the Diocese of Canterbury, in collaboration with Together Canterbury, Migrant Help UK and Canterbury Cathedral, have organised a community picnic to take place on Sunday 18 June, in the Dane John Gardens in Canterbury, between 2pm and 5pm.
Everyone is invited to join this event which seeks to bring the whole community together for a time of friendship, fun and music.
Other local activities include a ‘bring and share’ picnic with games in the grounds of St Francis Church, South Ashford on Sunday 18th June from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. St James Church in Westgate-on-Sea will also be holding an afternoon tea for the local community on Sunday 18th June 2pm to 6pm, followed by a Songs of Praise evening worship.
To view a full list of local events, people should visit the Great Get Together website: www.greatgettogether.org/
The following week sees the start of Refugee Week (19 to 25 June). It’s one of the UK’s largest festivals celebrating the contribution of refugees to our society. As part of the week, the Diocese is hosting a film screening of Evaporating Borders – an award-winning documentary about the life of refugees in camps in Lesbos.
Taking place on Friday 23 June at 6.30pm at the Gulbenkian, University of Kent, the film looks at what it means to be displaced, and examines the idea of belonging and notions of diaspora, exile and migration. An expert panel discussion will follow the film on the topic of life for refugees in Kent after resettlement.
Tickets cost £8.50 with some concessions available. Bookings can be made via the Gulbenkian website (http://www.thegulbenkian.co.uk/) or by calling 01227 769075.
As well as this event, St. Alphege Church in Whitstable will be hosting a Refugee Tea Party organised by the Whitstable Calais Solidarity Group on Sunday 25th June from 2pm to 5pm. All are welcome.
ENDS
For more information please contact Jennifer Ross, Communications Officer, Diocese of Canterbury on 01227 459 401 / email jross@diocant.org, or Domenica Pecoraro, Refugee Officer via email on dpecoraro@diocant.org
Notes to Editors
Images show:
- Leaflet for Great Get Together Dane John Gardens picnic
- Leaflet for Evaporating Borders film showing
The Diocese of Canterbury forms the Church of England in South and East Kent. As the oldest diocese in England, it stretches from Maidstone to Thanet, the Isle of Sheppey to the Romney Marsh. It includes 327 churches in 231 parishes, along with 103 church schools and a University with a Church of England foundation. It is committed to growing the church numerically and spiritually, to re-imagining ministry and to building partnerships that enrich communities.
Together Canterbury is a joint venture between Church Urban Fund and the Diocese of Canterbury. It seeks to provide long-term sustainable support to Christian communities in East Kent, to help them tackle issues of low income, debt, lack of skills, poor mental health and isolation in their areas. The vision is to see all churches, in every community coming together to tackle these issues through action, prayer and giving.
Migrant Help UK has been helping people who are fleeing from persecution, war and torture for over 50 years. Today, they are the leading UK organisation providing asylum advice and guidance services in the UK
Canterbury Cathedral - Learning and Participation team:
The Cathedral’s Learning and Participation team reaches out to the local and wider communities by working with a variety of community partners, organisations and groups, as well as attending festivals and events across East Kent.