King Charles meets refugees as part of reception at Lancaster Castle

As part of the occasion, Global Link and East Meets West representatives attended Lancaster Castle on Monday.

King Charles met Afghan refugee Ahmad Feroz, who was an officer in the British Army, and Lana Abu Hijeh, who now works for the NHS.

The King said: “The NHS wouldn't manage without people like you.”

Next week Global Link is hosting an event for the public to learn about refugees and asylum seekers at the town hall on June 19 as part of Refugee Week.

This will include a free experiential installation Escape to Safety from 1.30-8pm and a panel of speakers in the evening with an opportunity for people to ask questions.

The Escape to Safety exhibition gives people a simulated experience of asylum seeking. Visitors 'walk in the shoes' of refugees as they listen to the stories of an Eritrean, an Iranian and a Sudanese refugee who found safety in Lancaster.

The exhibition sheds light on the UK asylum system and why refugees are sometimes forced to enter the UK illegally.

Gisela Renolds, director of Global Link, said: “We have been working with this exhibition since 1999 and found that it is one of the best ways of understanding what it feels like to be an asylum seeker in the UK. It gets beyond social media headlines and describes the realities of the asylum experience.”

Lancaster and Morecambe City of Sanctuary are also hosting a panel of speakers from local charities from 7-8.30pm, who will explain where refugees are coming from and why, how they are settling in the Lancaster district and how the asylum system can be improved to make it work better for the UK taxpayer and local communities.

There will be an opportunity for questions.