Interim report on consultation on new migrant communities in Preston

Summary Report on:
Christian Ministry and New International Communities in the North West; (Migrant workers, asylum seekers, refugees, students)
A consultation for Christians in Preston, and surrounding parts of Lancashire, and Cumbria: Hosted by Preston Christian Action Network
on Saturday September 23rd 2006;
at The Salvation Army,Harrington Street, Preston PR1 7BN

Eighteen people mainly representing Christian churches, networks and projects in Preston and across the North West, from a variety of denominational and ethnic backgrounds attended this event. (See list of participants).

We began with prayer and worship led by Tim Keightley, director of the Foxton Centre in Preston.

We heard our keynote speaker Rev Canon Alan J Robson MSc Lincolnshire Agricultural Chaplain, present a detailed analysis of the situation in the agricultural and food processing industries in his county and the role of economic migrants within it. He presented a complex picture in which many workers are vulnerable and subject to exploitation. He talked about the work he, representing the churches and a consortium of other agencies had been undertaking to address the situation and gave us some interesting ideas which stimulated debate in the group.

• 
  30, 000 migrant workers in Lincolnshire. Mainly 'controlled' by 'gangmasters' / labour providers from both host and migrant community backgrounds.. but the new law about gang master's won't work -poorly thought out and many loopholes
  
  The need for migrant workers, in the fields at harvest time and in the canneries and packhouses, is enormous - "Supermarkets would be collapse if it were not for migrant workers". Meanwhile agricultural commodity prices are held down and traditional farmers have become an endangered species.
  
  Issues for the workers include: manipulation and abuse, childcare, housing, cultural issues, interpretation and translation, advocacy
  
  There has been a piecemeal approach to responding to migrant workers - for example at one time four different welcome packs were produced. To respond to this a charitable company has been established. One project they are involved in is training migrants as interpreters/ translators
  
  Niall Cooper director of Church Action on Poverty then spoke about the Living Ghosts campaign which seeks to give a voice to asylum seekers and refugees and highlight the injustices and destitution they often face as people with minimal rights in the UK.
  
  Possible Responses:
  · -Over many years CAP has run "Poverty hearings" - helping/ encouraging those who are experiencing a situation to speak out so we can hear their stories
  
  · -Getting stories into the press: local papers are often sympathetic of a good human interest story
  
  · -There is a place for the church to speak out: there is power in them doing so. The recent Faithful Cities report said some strong things on these issues.
  
  John East of the Wesley House Asylum Seekers Project in Blackburn with Aftab Mogul (one of the project users) continued this theme and using an interview method presented a powerful story of one Pakistani Christian family’s experience in coming to the UK to seek asylum.
  
  After lunch we broke into small groups to discuss our reactions, explore possible lines of action and prayed together .
  
  
  When we came together in a final plenary session the actions various people committed themselves to undertake included:
  
  
• General awareness raising in the churches to make people aware of the injustices faced by (and the differences between) economic migrants and asylum seekers
  
• Campaigning targeted at politicians and decision makers on these issues, and encouragement for Christians to stand for office.
  
• In Preston asking some fairly sharp questions of the Local Strategic Partnership to find out if they know what is happening locally.
  
• Encourage development of interagency partnerships to make an impact on the situation without duplicating effort.
  
• Making church buildings available for activities such as English Language classes, translation and advocacy services etc.
  
• Being much more welcoming in our churches of newcomers of different cultures and nationalities.
  
• Undertaking local grass roots research involving contacting and meeting people from the new communities, listening and giving them a voice and enabling them to shape the ministries and projects which will meet their needs.

If you have comments or want to share your ideas with us please email credoconsultancy@maister-smith.fsnet.co.uk