Hello from the new Refugee Support Worker 
My name is Rose McCarthy and in late July 2022 l was appointed to the role of Refugee Support Worker for Horsforth Churches Together employed by the Horsforth Chaplaincy Project. I thought it might be helpful if l introduce myself and shared some hopes for the future.
I moved to Horsforth 30 years ago with my husband Bill. We have 5 children who went to St Mary’s primary and secondary school. We are both active members of St Mary’s Catholic Church, which is part of Our Lady of Kirkstall parish.
I am an NCT antenatal teacher and l used to teach classes at home in Horsforth. In 2003, l was asked to teach classes to parents seeking asylum and refugees in Harehills. I said yes but did not have a clue what I was letting myself in for. I had never met a person seeking sanctuary before and to be honest my white middle classed bubble burst. I had no idea that we allowed pregnant women to be destitute in Leeds or the difficulties people seeking sanctuary faced. Despite their problems or maybe because of them, the women l met were full of love for their children and each other. Their faith helped them through life and they talked about it frequently. They taught me so much l was inspired to do more. I helped set up Leeds City of Sanctuary group and began working for the Refugee Council. Last year l took early retirement from the Refugee Council but l still teach my NCT antenatal class and am involved in the City of Sanctuary movement.
Since retiring l have become the chair of Our Lady of Kirkstall friends of migrants support group and every Monday we run a conversation group at a local hotel where 120 men-seeking asylum have been living for months. It is great fun; we talk about all sorts of topics and give out donations of clothes and goods according to need. If anyone is interested in joining the conversation group, please let me know on roseatmccarthy@yahoo.co.uk or 07932063648.
Horsforth is a wonderful place to live. There is a great sense of community here. We may not have many people seeking sanctuary living in Horsforth but that doesn’t mean we don’t care or can’t reach out to welcome and include people seeking sanctuary in our town. There are many examples of how Horsforth has done this for instance in 2012, St Mary’s Horsforth become one of the first ever Schools of Sanctuary in the UK. Churches and individuals have supported refugee organisation across the city giving donations and volunteering their time. We held an incredible Refugee Camp at the bottom of Town St in 2018 which cumulated in a wonderful celebration and sharing of food, stories and music at St Margaret’s. Recently, people from Ukraine have come to live with families in Horsforth. I could go on…
In the coming year I hope to tap into the goodwill of local people even more! My dream is that Horsforth will become a Town of Sanctuary. A place that is proud to welcome and include people seeking asylum and refugees. That we will work together to reach out, welcome people in and let our lives be enriched by the wealth of knowledge and experience that people seeking sanctuary bring. If you are interested in helping this happen please let me know on on rose@horsforthchaplaincy.org or 07932063648.