On our Path to Sanctuary at Queen’s University Belfast, we are proud to support and be supported by several external organisations, to host important events, and to enable a variety of staff-led initiatives. But some of the most meaningful projects start from within. Sanctuary Coffee Mornings are one such initiative – designed and delivered by our Civic Engagement Team, shaped by ongoing conversations with our Sanctuary colleagues, neighbours and friends, and grounded in direct feedback from consultation workshops.
From Listening to Launch: How Sanctuary Coffee Mornings Took Shape
We wanted to offer more than just tea and coffee. We set out to create a welcoming, safe space where people could connect, relax, and feel at home – but also a space with real purpose. So, at the end of each of the many consultations with Sanctuary seekers we held in summer/autumn 2024, we asked our Sanctuary community: We plan to organise some coffee mornings. What would make them valuable to you?
The answer was clear – people wanted reliable, accessible information. Guidance on navigating key services and opportunities in Northern Ireland. That input shaped what Sanctuary Coffee Mornings have become: a blend of friendly connection and practical support.
Pictures 1 and 2. Colourful signage on the door leading to Queen’s University’s Sanctuary Room, along with a selection of Sanctuary Coffee Morning flyers. QR codes are included to make registration easier.
Welcome to the Sanctuary Room!
Our venue is a previously unused seminar room in a building that formerly housed the University’s Seamus Heaney Centre. We’ve transformed it into the Sanctuary Room – a warm, informal space filled with throws, posters, and bunting. Every Wednesday from 10am to
12.30pm, the room came alive with conversation, learning, and shared laughter over tea, coffee, and pastries (including vegan and Halal-friendly options). There was even a Sanctuary Ukulele – because, like food, music speaks to everyone!
Pictures 3 and 4. Queen’s University’s Sanctuary Room – a cosy, informal space, well stocked with tea, coffee, pastries (including vegan options), fruit, and water.
Accessibility and Family-Friendly Features
We’ve worked hard to ensure the space is as accessible as possible. The room is located on the ground floor, with no steps or barriers, and large windows looking out onto the street. To help newcomers find us easily, we hang colourful signage on the door each week.
Participants are free to come and go as they need – there’s no pressure to stay for the full session.
For each session we book an Arabic interpreter and offer translation into other languages on request. So far, participants have benefitted from support in Farsi, Spanish, Ukrainian, Romanian, and more. We also ask all presenters to use simple English, to speak slowly, and to pause regularly to allow for translation.
A designated children’s area in the centre of the room allows parents to attend comfortably. The children’s drawings are proudly displayed on the walls – little bursts of creativity that help build a sense of community and belonging.
Pictures 5 and 6. Participants and organisers at the end of the Sanctuary Coffee Morning hosted by the Education Authority of Northern Ireland, focusing on tackling bullying in schools. The room includes a children’s corner with drawing materials, markers, and soft toys, helping parents feel more at ease attending.
Practical Support and Lasting Connections
Our Sanctuary Coffee Mornings aren’t just about the sessions themselves. Around the room, we’ve stocked shelves and tables with leaflets, booklets, and contact details from a wide range of local and national organisations. This means attendees can access a wealth of practical information in one place – whether they’re looking for legal advice, education opportunities, volunteering pathways, or health and wellbeing support.
We’ve been fortunate to welcome representatives from many fantastic organisations as guest speakers, including the Education Authority of Northern Ireland, Belfast City of Sanctuary, Belfast Metropolitan College, Volunteer Now, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, National Museums of Northern Ireland, the Windrush Home Office Team, the Law Centre of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and other. Many leave behind resources that remain in the room long after their visit – ensuring their presence continues to be felt.
Pictures 7 and 8. Some of the participants, organisers, interpreters, researchers, and representatives from various organisations (including the Police Service of Northern Ireland), pictured with Queen’s University’s Civic Engagement and Sanctuary team, and the captain of QUB STAR.
This open, welcoming environment has also allowed for honest conversations. Attendees – and we as organisers – feel comfortable asking questions, exploring difficult topics, and sharing lived experiences. And it’s not just participants who benefit: our partner organisations have praised the coffee mornings as a unique space to connect with one another, extend the reach of their services, and start new collaborations.
The Sanctuary Room is a living, evolving space – shaped by continuous feedback and grounded in the real needs of the community it’s here to serve.
From Libraries to Learning Opportunities
Some photos from one of our four early pilot sessions, just before Christmas, capture our approach beautifully. That week’s theme was libraries and books. We brought in carefully chosen titles to give to families as winter gifts and organised a tour of the University Library. Some participants even signed up for the Queen’s library’s free Associate Membership through the Scholars at Risk scheme.
Pictures 9-12. Photographs from the Sanctuary Coffee Morning dedicated to the free Associate Library Scheme for Sanctuary Scholars, which included a tour of Queen’s University’s McClay Library. Ahead of the event, we purchased diversity-themed books, wrapped them as gifts, and displayed them in the room for attendees to take home for their children – or friends’ children – for the winter holidays. Each gift was labelled with the language of the book and the recommended age.
From February to June, our topics included addressing bullying in Schools, learning opportunities at Belfast Met (our College of Sanctuary partner), getting into University (a repeated, very popular session with expert guidance from Queen’s staff), volunteering opportunities, safety in the community, accessing the health service, and much more.
And that’s just the beginning. We’ve got more sessions planned for the coming year.
Learning Along the Way
It was a joy to see people return week after week, gradually building confidence, forming friendships, and feeling increasingly at home in the space. At the same time, these sessions have been a learning curve for us too – sometimes a steep one. We’ve had to adapt quickly, respond to feedback in real time, and reflect honestly on what’s working and what could be improved.
Pictures 13-15. Some of our fantastic presenters at the Sanctuary Coffee Mornings, speaking on topics including university access, women’s health and menopause, and the work of Belfast City of Sanctuary.
Attendance has varied widely from session to session. Some topics, like Getting Into University, proved so popular that we’ve had to offer the session three times in the academic year to accommodate demand. Others, while rich in content, attracted fewer individuals and more representatives from organisations. We understand this might be due to the wide and growing number of information events now offered across Belfast – something to celebrate, but also something we need to navigate thoughtfully.
We’re now thinking carefully about how to complement existing provision, focusing on areas where we can really add value because of our collective expertise as a university – particularly in education, arts, and culture. After consulting with a few of our partner organisations, we have decided to continue our Coffee Mornings on a monthly basis to maximise attendance. We’ll make them relevant to what the University has to offer, and build partnerships to provide our Sanctuary network members with opportunities both inside and outside the University.
In September, we’ll talk about mental health with our own staff as well as Counselling All Nations NI; in October, we’ll visit Belfast City Hall on a guided tour and meet the Lord Mayor and staff to learn about their services; in November, we’ll present the new Sanctuary scholarship provision; and in December, while promoting our free Library membership scheme for displaced scholars, we’ll also hear from Libraries of Sanctuary NI.
Pictures 16 and 17. The GROW initiative at North Belfast Waterworks – a community allotment that brings together organisations and neighbours from all walks of life to share fruit, vegetables, gardening tips, and kindness.
At the same time, we want to enhance our outreach activity. We want to welcome people to Queen’s University, but equally to be present in the places around Belfast they now call home – to meet them, listen to them, promote our initiatives, and share feedback. This is what we’re calling The Queen’s University Belfast Sanctuary Roadshow, which began in late August with a visit to a community allotment in North Belfast where members of the ANAKA Women’s Collective meet every Wednesday for gardening and socialising. This first Sanctuary Roadshow event reminded us of the importance of building spaces where everyone can grow and “bloom in the pots we’re planted in.”
Through the ‘Castle’ Door
Pictures 18 and 19. The main entrance of Queen’s University’s historic Lanyon Building, where the Sanctuary Pledge is displayed opposite the Civic Board. A public promise to our city and our neighbours that the University is committed to working alongside them to create meaningful opportunities.
A memory that sticks with us: during a campus tour some months ago, one participant looked up at Queen’s iconic Lanyon Building and said with awe, “Ah, the Castle!” That’s how she saw it – a magical, but perhaps forbidding place from a different world.
Yet that day, she didn’t just see it from the outside. She walked through the doors of that ‘Castle’, past the Sanctuary Pledge board, and into the heart of the university. And we hope that from now on, every time she visits, she feels more and more that this is her space too.
The Civic Engagement Team at Queen’s University Belfast
Aileen Cummins, Claire Graham, Federica Ferrieri, Maurice Macartney, Raymond Miller August 2025