Community, creativity and hope at Hastings Sanctuary Festival 2022

Spokeswoman Dominika Hicks said: “Sanctuary Festival sends a simple message of welcome to all, with some of Hastings’ best musicians and artists once again showing their support for the act of seeking sanctuary.

“Organised by Hastings Community of Sanctuary, hosted by Hastings Museum & Art Gallery and raising funds for Hastings Supports Refugees, the festival celebrates the power of community, of creativity and of hope.

“The event comes at the end of Refugee Week, a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

"The Refugee Week theme this year is healing, and the festival will be exploring healing through creativity and nature.

“On Saturday 25, 7-10pm, it’s the Sanctuary Comedy Special in partnership with Freedom From Torture East Sussex and the Hastings Comedy Fringe.”

Dominika added: ” Laughter is often the best medicine and there will be laughs a plenty with four fantastic acts to entertain you – Tom Mayhew, VG Lee, Nick Elleray and Lauren Douglin – with Tim ‘Bavard Bar’ Crook as your MC.

“There will be an auction to raise funds for Freedom From Torture and The Refugee Buddy Project, and we’re delighted to be launching Hastings’ newest micro-brewery The Hastings Project, who are donating profits from the night.”

Tickets are £10, available from hastings.cityofsanctuary.org/events.

“Sunday 26 is the main Sanctuary Festival, now in its sixth year, kicking off at midday and free to all.

“”In the grounds of Hastings Museum you will find live music, creative workshops, storytellers, drumming, community stalls, fun for kids, food and friends.

“The music line-up includes Izzy Withers, Jiggery Pokery, Gail Edmunds, the Ashburnham International Choir, The Shady Pines, Barefoot Opera, festival regulars Jamal & Alaa, Marie White and Hastings’ hottest funk band Plunk.

“There are lots of creative things to do throughout the day. Afri-Co-Lab are inviting you to patch and mend to give clothes a new lease of life. Bring an item with you and learn the magic of visible mending.

“There will be two unusual opportunities to get your portrait done at the festival.

"Flash Portraits will be happening throughout the day with a rolling team of artists capturing your likeness to raise funds.

"You can also see some of the portraits created during the Afri-Co-Lab Drawathon.

"Epiphany make portraits through sound! With instruments and voices they use improvised music as a means of creating a ‘sound portrait’ of the people they play for, who may find themselves portrayed as they’ve never been before!

“With so much turmoil around the world at this time, Sanctuary Festival reminds us that community and creativity really do make a difference at a local level.”