Westminster City Council and Westminster Refugee Welcome warmly invite you to an evening celebrating the settling of refugees from Syria in the capital and exploring what more Westminster can do to accommodate refugees here.

Wednesday 7th February, 6.30pm-8.00pm

St James’ Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL

In September 2015, the Prime Minister David Cameron announced that by May 2020, 20,000 Syrian refugees would be resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). So far, over 9,000 people have been resettled in the UK, half of them children.

This is a fantastic start. But political and media attention has moved on from the issue, while thousands of refugees remain stranded in camps in Europe. There is much more that individuals and communities in London can do to help.

This event will bring together different communities from across Westminster. Westminster City Council will set out their ambitions for settling vulnerable refugee families in the borough and provide information about how community groups and individuals can get involved. We will also hear from community leaders, volunteers and private landlords about their experiences welcoming refugees across London.

• 6.30-7.05pm Presentations: Westminster Council, community leaders, landlords
  

• 7.05-7.30pm Q&A

• 7.30-8.00pm Drinks reception

Please share this invitation widely among your networks and encourage anyone interested in being involved to come along. Everyone is welcome.

You can also watch this video about the VPRS scheme and the need to resettle refugees, featuring comedian Miranda Hart, actress Dame Harriet Walter and politician Lord Alf Dubbs.

St James’ Church, Piccadilly is currently hosting Suspended, an installation of hundreds of items of clothing discarded by refugees arriving at Lesbos, by artist Arabella Dorman.