Migration themed portrait exhibition goes on tour

This image of architect and artist Dame Zaha Hadid by Michael Craig-Martin is part of the exhibition

A new exhibition exploring the experiences and contributions of people who moved to Britain and made it their permanent or temporary home is set to open in Kent at the start of a national tour.

Lives in Motion features 51 stories of migration from the National Portrait Gallery's (NPG) London collection.

The free display, ranging from the 11th Century through to the present day, opens at The Beaney in Canterbury on Saturday and runs until 5 October.

Charlotte Cornell, cabinet member for culture and heritage at Canterbury City Council, which owns the gallery, said the stories told in this exhibition were "so inspiring".

She added: "They act as an important reminder of what makes Britain such a brilliantly diverse place today."

The display looks at the different reasons people move and explores how leaving home, and finding a new one, presents opportunities but also challenges around personal identity and a sense of belonging.

A spokesperson said: "Spanning nearly a thousand years of history, stories are told through a range of vibrant paintings, sculptures, photography, prints, and digital art."

A newly acquired bust of Mary Seacole, a British-Jamaican nurse who cared for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War, will also be on show for the first time since its acquisition by NPG.

Local groups including St Peter's Methodist Primary School, Kent Refugee Action Network and The Beaney's Sensing Culture Group for blind and partially sighted people have also helped develop additional interpretation materials for the display.