Refugee support charity marks 30 years in Lancaster with official opening of new home

Global Link is a development education centre which has been delivering global learning activities with schools and the wider community since it was founded in 1993 as a sub-committee of the YMCA, then in China Street.

Since then, Global Link has moved several times, and become the leading charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the district, now able to offer a safe welcoming space for people to engage, learn, be active, socialise, and cook and eat together, but also for schools and the wider community to access global education support.

Last year, Global Link purchased and converted a residential building after raising more than £400,000 in local donations, grants and loans, with asylum seeker in kind labour totalling a further £24,000.

On Saturday, the building was officially opened by Kathy Barton, who sold Global Link the building at a reduced cost, and Artan Llabjani, one of the first (Kosovan) refugees who came to Lancaster as a child in 2000 and who is now a property lawyer in London.

Gisela Renolds, the executive director, said: “This year, and today in particular, was a significant milestone for Global Link.

"Without the hundreds of people who donated time and money, we would never have been able to buy and create this global community education centre, a space for refugees and asylum seekers, but also for those committed to global learning and making the world a fairer, more peaceful and sustainable place.

"In our hallway is a Thank You Wall, listing all the names of people who contributed time and money to our vision.

"Unfortunately, due to the building being listed, the planning department of Lancaster City Council are threatening to prosecute Global Link for replacing the interior doors with fire doors, and plasterboarding the ceilings to make them fire safe, in accordance with Fire Safety Building Regulations.

"We have appealed and hope the planning department will recognise that fire safety is paramount in a community education centre and will drop the case against us.”