CDS Action Plan 2026/7
Awareness raising
Displays & talks. Stalls at events.
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) event in January
Refugee Week events & displays in June
Fundraisers – coffee mornings & information stalls
Consider: an activity for Inter Faith Week in November 2027
City of Sanctuary HQ
Maintaingood relations with Megan Greenwood (schools), Courtney Cuffy (Yorkshire) & Maggie Filipova-Rivers (Local Authorities)
Members attend online sessions run by HQ
Members attend the Yorkshire regional meetings online
Community Welcome & Buddying/Befriending
Continue to work with Skipton Refugee Families who offer help for individuals coming to the area, as well as settled Syrian, Afghan & Ukrainian households.
Keep in touch with Pendle New Neighbours (PNN) in Nelson who support many asylum seekers
Maintain close links with Refugee Support groups in Craven: Bentham, Settle, Skipton & Upper Wharfedale
Supporters attend the now annual Peace Meal in April at Craven College
Events/Networking
Holocaust Memorial Day – we hold a vigil every year in January outside Skipton Town Hall.
A core group member did a talk for HMD in Skipton library about her own experiences & knowledge. Aim: to cover this slot each year
Settle Quakers organise an HMD vigil annually.
Displays in Skipton Town Hall & Skipton library for HMD
Skipton & Settle libraries keep our leaflets & publicise events. Bentham & Ingleton libraries have displays for Refugee Week
Skipton Quakers have a representative on our core group & we use their premises for events. Settle Quakers have a named person for liaison with us.
Members of Grassington Peace group join in vigils.
Skipton Refugee Families are in close contact, with some of the core group holding fund raisers for them. This year we had a bric a brac stall & two coffee mornings which raised over £916.80.
An annual online discussion event for supporters is held in the Autumn, usually at lunchtime.
Inter Faith Week November 2027 Consider: organising a ‘peace’ meal
Feeling Safe
There is contact with police through the Council Local Communities’ team.
Invite police to speak to the core group
Finances
New funding possibilities are monitored as they come onstream
Successfully applied for two grants of £1,000 & £2,000 for Skipton Refugee Families in 2026
Apply for more funding for SRF
Health & Well-being
Share information & resources
Invite a speaker from West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership to core group session https://www.wypartnership.co.uk/news-and-blog/news/our-pledge-support-craven-district-sanctuary and https://www.wypartnership.co.uk/our-priorities/population-health-management/health-inequalities/partnership-sanctuary
Invite a speaker from Craven Communities Together Partnership to core group session https://www.compassehub.com/organisation/view/268
Libraries
We have a representative on our Core Group
Two-way sharing of information & resources. We publicise events for each other.
Working together on events like HMD & Refugee Week
Displays in Skipton & Settle libraries
Talks arranged at Skipton library
Local Authority
The Local Communities team is represented on the core group.
Maintain regular contact with North Yorkshire Councillors for the Craven area
Maintain good relationships with staff at North Yorkshire Council and the Migrant Programmes Team.
Maintain relations with members of the Swift project. Referrals made when suitable (two examples) to the North Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law centre https://www.cany.org.uk/swift-project/
ACounty of Sanctuary for North Yorkshire is a long-term aim and one of ourkey goals. Two of the core group met with an officer from the Mayor’s Office in 2026 to discuss potential progress. They are in contact with Maggie Filipova-Rivers at City of Sanctuary HQ
Local Business & Voluntary Organisations
Publicise events for our pledgers notably SELFA & Skipton Step into Action. They are supportive of the refugee families; some children attend Selfa groups.
Maintain contact with pledgers by including in invitations to online session, e-mailings & newsletters.
Make contact with Skipton Masjid
Establish links with more faith groups across the district.
Pledges of support – remember to look formore.
Link with Broughton Road Community Centre is established.
Skipton Rotary has closed.
Publicity & Information for Supporters
Annual fact sheet distributed
Email contact with supporters. Items of interest are shared. Annual online session. Occasional newsletters circulated.
Website is kept up to date with news
Contact with local newspaper (Craven Herald) maintained
Facebook page regularly updated
Refugee Week activities listings are widely circulated
Refugee Support Groups
There is regular contact with all local groups: Bentham, Settle, Skipton, Upper Wharfedale. Information shared & events publicised.
Newsletter for Craven Refugee Support Network – this has recently changed so we will maintain a newsletter with key events & information.
Refugee Week
Talks organised in Skipton & Settle.
Maintain successful contacts with Skipton & Settle libraries with displays using the annual theme. Displays in Bentham & Ingleton libraries.
Settle has story times for Refugee Week. Copies of a children’s book were donated to local schools & nurseries in Settle this year (thanks to Pip Doran)
Local Settle bookshop has a display. Bentham community shop has a window display. Aim: Skipton bookshop displays in 2027
Skipton Town Hall has a display in the foyer.
Support & publicity for activities with local refugee support groups in Bentham, Settle & Skipton. In 2026 there were talks, a concert, story times & an informal drop in event.
A comprehensive list of forthcoming events was publicised. A round up of events held was produced & circulated. Aim: to share reports with local press afterwards of events held
Schools & Learning
Upper Wharfedale secondary school re-accredited in June 2026 as a School of Sanctuary. The local MP attended the presentation at a full school assembly. Our Chair, Chris Rose presented the certificate to the Head & spoke about the aims of City of Sanctuary. Kate Hart from Bradford Schools of Sanctuary also spoke.
Glusburn Primary is in constant touch & will be starting their reaccreditation process in November.
Aim: work with more schools possibly South Craven Secondary, Skipton Girls’ High, Settle College, Settle Primary
Craven College is in constant touch & puts on events for HMD & Refugee Week.
Agreed Sept 2026
CDS Action Plan 2025
Awareness raising
Displays: HMD; Refugee Week; Glusburn community stalls
HMD 2026 room booked at Skipton library on 28th January for indoor event tba
Talks to outside groups: respond to invitations; offer talks to faith groups; link up with people with lived experience
City of Sanctuary HQ
Online sessions & training: members of core group to attend at least one session each year
Maintain relationships with staff: schools Megan; region Courtney
Sanctuary Ambassadors: establish contact
Co-production ensure all core group members are familiar with the three recommended links in the City of Sanctuary Handbook:
Download co-production training slides
Download the Q&A from our co-production training
Community Welcome & Buddying/Befriending
Volunteers: recruit to work with refugee families (job description)
Buddying: continue to liaise with PNN and Refugee Council befrienders
Peace meal event
Continue to make links across communities & groups
Events/Networking
HMD: Vigil; indoor events for 2026 in Skipton and Settle
Skipton & Settle Quakers: maintain relationships
Grassington Peace Group: maintain links
Online sessions for supporters: twice a year
Feeling Safe
Police liaison: invite presentations on Prevent, safety & other subjects
Finances
Funding: continue to identify small pots of funding with help from CoS.
Follow Community First Yorkshire; Two Ridings Community Foundation; Skipton Town Council Community Grant scheme; Matthew Good Foundation
Health & Well-being
Link & sign-post relevant information eg to & from libraries & Swift project.
Share information & resources
Libraries
Representative on Core Group
Sharing awareness, information, and library resources available to refugees,
Working together on delivering events and national initiatives like HMD and Refugee Week.
Local Authority
County of Sanctuary for North Yorkshire: a long-term aim but one of our key goals
NYC Councillors keep in contact
Ripon Councillors make contact where possible
NYC staff maintain relationships
(Since May 2024, a new Migrant Programmes Team has been established as a service under the Localities Team within North Yorkshire Council)
Core group representation from Migrant Programmes team
Mayor for York & North Yorkshire extend invitation to HMD event next year
Local Business & Voluntary Organisations
Maintain contact with pledgers by including in invitations to online session, e-mailings & newsletters
Establish links with more faith groups across the district, including Skipton Masjid
Pledges of support gain more
Arts organisations establish links
Publicity & Information for Supporters
Fact sheets annually
Newsletters: twice a year
Email contact with supporters
Website: add news items
Craven Herald & local parish magazines: send in articles & reports (Kevin Hogan does press releases)
Facebook page: maintain & post regularly
Refugee Week
More involvement with libraries, community groups & schools in Skipton and Settle
South Craven including Glusburn Institute and primary school
Displays using annual theme
Local refugee support groups: support & publicise their events
Schools & Learning
More involvement from schools using publicity mailings, resources information, events & visits
Online lunchtime event for schools
Recruit volunteers & people with lived experience to speak to groups & to work with individual schools; training with Megan; clarify a job description of what we need
Funding clarify a source for resources, business cards etc.
List of speakers & story tellers available in person & online to be created/distributed, using people with lived experience where possible ; obtain funding for sessions
Glusburn Community Primary continue to share information & develop links
Upper Wharfedale secondary school to be reaccredited
Skipton Academy to apply for accreditation
Settle College build on existing relationships
Brooklands & other special schools to be contacted again
Craven College continue to develop relationships & work in partnership; celebrate if/when they receive accreditation
Agreed February 2025, amended May 2025