Stories of Sanctuary: 'A hosting shaped family' by Mother Rachel Summers
In our Stories of Sanctuary, we share stories from those seeking asylum in our Borough of Sanctuary and the community supporting them.
In this edition, Mother Rachel Summers (Pioneer Curate, St Peter-in-the-forest Walthamstow and St Mary's Woodford), writes about hosting those seeking asylum with charity Refugees at Home.
'A hosting shaped family' by Mother Rachel Summers
“We have been hosting refugees and asylum seekers through a charity called Refugees at Home for the past ten years. Over that time we have had almost two dozen people through our doors, some for just a weekend, some for almost a year. We have hosted guests from Sudan, Eritrea, Chad, Iran, Nigeria, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, and that's just the guests I can remember!
“We have hosted alongside bringing up our own five children, and it has been a brilliant experience for all of us. Listening to someone from Sudan reading your kid a well-known folk tale as their bedtime story, and watching their face as they discover the clever ending for the first time is quite magical.
“My children have danced to music from round the world, have learned a smattering of different languages. They have chatted about childhood experiences that are so very similar no matter where or how one grows up.
"It has been so good for my children, for all of us, to really see that what we have in common across the world is far bigger than that which divides us.
“My children have learned to share their kitchen, have given English lessons, have tested people to see if they like Marmite! They have a first-hand knowledge of the asylum system and the issues around 'small boats' in a way that I wish those who wrote the papers, the news and the Law would have.
“My children have learned to be kind and welcoming.
“We have celebrated Christmas with jollof rice.
“We know that we are lucky to be able to juggle our home to create a spare room. As Christians, we believe in sharing what we have with those in need, offering a welcome to strangers.
“I would say that hosting comes out of our deeply held beliefs, not just our faith beliefs but also our beliefs about humans and how we should live as decent people. Occasionally people have expressed surprise that we are happy to host young men in our home, particularly when we have had young children living within it. We have never found this to be an issue. On the whole, the young men have been polite, tidy, and helpful. Refugees at Home take referrals from organisations who have already taken the time to get to know the potential guest, and so we have felt happy that we wouldn't be asked to take anyone who would not fit in with our family.
“If anyone has a spare room, even if it's only spare for term times, Refugees at Home would be very happy to fill it for you!
“Waltham Forest is such a busy, warm, welcoming borough, that it is a great place for people to land in and begin to start rebuilding their lives.”
Written by Mother Rachel Summers, Pioneer Curate, St Peter-in-the-forest Walthamstow and St Mary's Woodford.
More information
Refugees at Home is a UK charity which connects those with a spare room in their home to refugees and people seeking asylum who are in need of somewhere to stay.
What is a Borough of Sanctuary?
In Waltham Forest we value and celebrate the migrants, refugees and people seeking sanctuary who have settled in Waltham Forest and are proud to be a Borough of Sanctuary.
In December 2023 we launched our Borough of Sanctuary Framework and were officially recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary through the national charity City of Sanctuary.