Thursday, 23 December 2010

Lantern launch - Migrant Right Centre

Another plug for the new Migrant Rights Centre that just opened out of the Pierian Centre in St Pauls.

The volunteers and supporters associated with the Centre held a lantern launch on 18th December (which is International Migrants Day) on the Downs. I wandered up to lend my undoubted firelighting skills. It was a lovely event, with the Deputy Lieutenant of Bristol there to start the whole thing off and around 50 people armed with eco-friendly chinese lanterns - despite the crashing cold! The lanterns symbolised those who travel... like part of my own family, who came to the UK about a century ago as economic migrants from what is now the Czech Republic.

The volunteers behind the Centre have done a great job of getting everything together and launching with a bang. I hope that they are able to keep their efforts going, attracting new volunteers and supporters along the way. The Centre operates a drop-in advice and information session for all types of migrants on Friday mornings between 10am and 12 noon.

(Many thanks to Jon Massey for the use of his action-packed picture.)

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