Jonathan Bellamy spoke with Will Sutcliffe about the pioneering work being done in Bradford.

The good and wonderful thing is it works. Over the years we have had over 60 people hosted and I can honestly say, hand on heart, we haven't had a disaster yet. Probably through God and a lot of prayer.

Jonathan: It's not just practical help you give to the refugees is it? There is a real sense of compassion, care and love that goes with it isn't there?

Will: That's it and I've been immensely encouraged by the fact that many people from the churches have got involved and without sounding a bit cheesy, people are really enriched by the process, because we meet some extraordinary and very wonderful people. Friendship is a really important thing in this.

I mentioned a charity called 'Abagail Housing,' which I Chair and we've recruited house champions. That's people to befriend the residents in some of our houses and that is working wonderfully. People will go and have meals with residents, because so often the people, the refugees and asylum seekers are keen to give something back. But they will take people out for day trips, out in the country and take them and show them around the city and find places they wouldn't be able to go to. That welcome and friendship is so important.

Jonathan: A lot of the lessons that you're learning and experience that you're garnering, I imagine would be really helpful for another initiative you're involved with called 'City of Sanctuary'? If I understand it that is a national movement to help raise awareness of any issues surrounding the asylum seekers and refugees, is that correct?

Will: That's right and it's growing incredibly rapidly at the moment. It launched 10 years ago and in the last year it's probably tripled in size. There's about 70 towns, cities, valleys and regions that have got groups now and that's immensely encouraging.

It's about going back upstream. There's a well-known phrase, 'That it's one thing to pull bodies out of a river, but it's another thing to go back upstream and work out why people are falling in in the first place'. That's what City Sanctuary is trying to do. It's trying to influence the environment that creates problems for people and a lot of that is public opinion. We find generally that through awareness and raising awareness initiatives in schools, colleges and universities, church's and with the general public, that as people are faced with real people, in real situations, with real lives, a lot of the prejudices fall away, because prejudice is so often based upon ignorance and stereotyping. Once people understand real issues, it's really encouraging and impressive to see how people say, "I never knew that was the situation, what can I do to help?"

Jonathan: A lot of that work happens in schools doesn't it?

Will: It does. We've got a really good schools work locum working in schools and they work towards a school sanctuary award. For those in education that is a very slimmed down Steven Lawrence award. We've got some schools doing some really great stuff, because a number of schools have asylum refugee pupils and it's really important there is a level of understanding from staff and pupils for them. Also in areas where there aren't asylum seekers and refugees, it's very good for the children to learn and get informed and to look at how they can get involved in school and supporting schools that do have refugee children.

Jonathan: That's incredible work. Finally, do you have any stories of those you have helped?

Will: I often think of the parable of the widow's mite and how in the temple the person who gave the most was the person with the least. I probably haven't got six stories just off the top of my head, but what I do so often get really challenged by, is the fact that people with nothing always want to give back. Even literally those who are earning nothing, somehow manage to find something from what they've received to be able to give back.

As a family we've been helping an Iranian Christian refugee this year. He was living on £5 a day. Every time he came around he had baked. He hadn't got a cooker, but he had got a two ring hob with a grill and he learned how to bake cakes under the grill. I don't think he had cooked in his life, but he would always bring something around. The idea of these people coming here to scrounge is so far from the truth.

The biblical imperative in this is Hebrews 13, 'Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together in prison with them and those mistreated as if you were suffering.' You can find a hundred other similar verses through the Bible, challenging us to get involved and to see beyond the labels and stereotypes.

Jonathan: If people want to get in touch or find out more where would you point them?

Will: If they're interested in housing or Hosting Projects, there is a national network of which I'm a trustee called NACCOM naccom.org.uk.

If you're interested in the City of Sanctuary then go to cityofsanctuary.org and you can look up the town or village nearest to you to find out what is going on.