Refugee Week aims to bring communities together

FODI is one of the charities organising events throughout the week

Events designed to show a city that asylum seekers and refugees are "people worth welcoming" are set to take place next week.

Refugee Week will see football tournaments, meals and walks take place across Sunderland from 17 to 23 June.

The events are being organised by charities from across the city, including the Friends of the Drop In For Asylum Seekers ad Refugees (FODI).

Steve Newman, FODI's chairperson, said the events were designed to create greater awareness in the community about refugee issues.

"It's to give a platform to asylum seekers and refugees and to interact with members of the wider public," he said.

"And [to show] they are people who are worth welcoming."

Mr Newman said Sunderland had welcomed refugees and asylum seekers

The first of the week's events will be a walk beginning at the city's Minster at 09:30 BST on Monday.

The walkers have been invited to wear colourful clothing during the walk, which will end with a picnic in Barnes Park.

A football tournament will take place on Tuesday while a cricket match will be played at Wearmouth Cricket Club on Wednesday.

"A lot of the events are about sharing food," said Mr Newman.

"That is about asylum seekers and refugees putting together meals from their cultures and sharing them with other asylum seekers and refugees and people from the local community."

Mr Newman said over the years Sunderland has been welcoming to asylum seekers.

"We are aware that the climate of public debate isn't always where we want it to be," he said.

"There are more negative voices in the public space than we would wish but in Sunderland there are no loud negatives voices."