THIS week has been World Refugee Week and today, Sunday June 20, is World Refugee Day.
While there is welcome international recognition for the continued plight of thousands, we extend that to show solidarity and offer help all year round.
Each day throughout the year MFC Foundation and Middlesbrough Football Club extend the hand of friendship to those new to the area.
We all have a role to play in showing solidarity with people who have had to flee their homes and rebuild their lives in another country and our Football Welcomes programme plays a major part in helping people settle.
Football Welcomes celebrates the contribution people from a refugee background make to the area and highlights the role football can play in bringing people together and creating more welcoming communities for refugees.
Naomi Westland, Movement Building Manager at Amnesty International UK, has long recognised the part we play, commenting: “Clubs like Middlesbrough and their Foundation are at the heart of their communities, bringing people together and a providing a sense of purpose and belonging. For those who’ve fled conflict and persecution and had to leave everything behind, this is incredibly important.”
In our lead photograph are participants from the Middlesbrough and Stockton area along with representatives from MFC Foundation, The Red Cross and Mears Group.
