Back in early 2019 I had the great privilege of shooting a short documentary for the charity Leicester City of Sanctuary. In case you are unaware of the incredible work they are doing, their organisation aims to welcome local asylum seekers and refugees and support them to rebuild their lives, develop their skills and feel part of the community.
My parents have been involved with the charity for some years and it was a great pleasure to meet the people there and to be able to contribute something to their valuable mission. I really admire the welcoming atmosphere and strong community feel that the organisation has created and it is a testament to the good-hearted nature and open-mindedness of the people of Leicester.
They offer a range of vital services and wider enrichment opportunities to asylum seekers and refugees: a central Hub with welcome, support services and a hot meal; ESOL classes; a football session; sewing & IT classes.
Their services run five days a week, supporting around 150 people each week. Services are delivered by a team of volunteers. Their service users are the lifeblood of the charity and they could not run it without their help. More than half the volunteer team running the drop-in at the Hub are asylum seekers themselves.
During Covid their services have obviously had to be more restricted but they are still providing valuable support to the community.
Although I have been able to continue my cinematography work here in Korea during the pandemic I do miss shooting medium format a lot (my camera is currently sitting idle on the shelves of a repair shop that has closed its doors for the duration of the lockdown in the UK). It has, however, been very nice to revisit some of these older shots that I had not put out anywhere.
If you’d like to learn more about volunteering with and/or donating to Leicester City of Sanctuary, please check out their website here.
Shot on CineStill 800T and Ilford HP5 with the Bronica S2.