Solidarity, friendship and respect are the pillars of the Sanctuary Runners: established in 2018 to allow Irish residents “run alongside, and in solidarity” with asylum seekers and refugees living in direct provision.
To date, over 2,000 members have joined 23 groups nationwide; and all you need to take part is an open mind.
“When you throw on the blue top, all the labels that we all have like ‘asylum seeker’, ‘refugee’, ‘citizen’, ‘resident’, they all kind of disappear and you’re yourself, you’re a Sanctuary Runner,” says co-founder Graham Clifford.
“Whether you’re from Timbuktu or Tipperary, running the world over is one foot in front of the other, so it’s something we can all do.”
There is no fee, and the groups are also open to joggers and walkers. Pre-COVID-19, the Sanctuary Runners met weekly at their local parkrun event. When restrictions eased during the summer, they were able to facilitate “pod running” to maintain social distancing, though since Level 5 restrictions were introduced last week, this has been put on pause. They have also introduced new initiatives like “Sanctuary Strength”, an online fitness class to keep people connected.
ICL spoke with Joe Barrow and Deborah Oniah from the Mallow group about how it has changed their lives.
Visit www.sanctuaryrunners.ie
Joe’s story
Dairy farmer and contractor Joe Barrow jokes that “everyone knows Saturday morning is a no-go for getting me in to do a job”, such is his commitment to the Sanctuary Runners in Mallow.
He took up running in February 2019 to get “head space” away from the farm.
“I said I just have to switch off and give myself one hour a week and say just no cows, no annoyance and just concentrate on something else,” says Joe, who joined his local parkrun every Saturday morning and went from completing 5ks to four half marathons and a full marathon by the end of the year.
He first read about the Sanctuary Runners online and after emailing Graham Clifford, discovered there was another person in Mallow – Deborah Oniah – who wanted to start a local group.
Up to that point, he “didn’t even know that there was a (direct provision) centre in Mallow” but Sanctuary Runners has been an “eye-opener”.
“I would say a lot of farming is a very isolated life and you’re on your own all the time and you’re not considering other people’s lives and how they are getting on and their struggles,” he says.
“It’s very hard to live with the uncertainty that they have. They could get a phone call or a letter after being here for three or four years – some of them could be longer – to be told go home and it’s very hard to put ourselves in their shoes and to think what it must be like: that sense of fear.”
Since joining Sanctuary Runners, Joe has made friends from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Albania to name a few. After one run, he and his wife Elizabeth had 40 runners up to the farm for coffee pre-COVID; and he has even given some tractor driving lessons!
“It’s amazing how relationships and bonds will build over a very short space of time,” says Joe.
Prior to COVID-19, the group had 25-30 members meeting regularly at parkrun, but during lockdown, they kept in touch on WhatsApp. Whenever life returns to normal, Joe says they hope to grow the group and would recommend that anybody in the farming community considers joining – or starting – a Sanctuary Runners club.
“I’m getting more out of it than I would ever put in,” he says simply.
Deborah’s story
Deborah Oniah has not just gained a love of exercise since joining the Sanctuary Runners.
“I was talking to one woman and she was saying, ‘Oh you’re gaining the Cork accent!’” laughs Deborah, who came to Ireland from Nigeria in 2017 and is currently living in direct provision with her four children.
She first joined the Sanctuary Runners while living in Kinsale, but after moving to Mallow in 2018, helped set up the group with Joe. But as well as achieving running goals – such as completing two Cork city marathons as part of a relay – the group has been a “lifeline” in dark days.
“It’s helping with my mental health, it’s helping me to make friends and integrate and my kids run with me now,” she says.
“It’s part of my life because every time I run, I get clear. Like I’m supposed to be worried about being in direct provision and waiting for my status and those worries are there; but I have tools that support me and running is one of them.”
Deborah says that one of the most difficult things she faced initially in Ireland was “loneliness” but Sanctuary Runners has provided vital support.
“I think the right word would be beyond friends; it’s family,” she says.
Deborah is currently pursuing Trauma Studies at UCC and her dream is to work in mental health support. But she feels Sanctuary Runners can benefit everybody; asylum seeker or citizen.
“When you are running or walking and get to hear people’s stories, you not only find ways to support them; you learn from their stories,” she says.
Where in Ireland might you find jollof rice from Nigeria, fried plantain from west Africa or puff-puff from Cameroon?
Sligo might not be the obvious answer, yet since 2014, it’s been home to Sligo Global Kitchen (SGK), an initiative that grew out of the Model Arts Centre to create a space for people living in direct provision to cook for themselves, but also share food from different cultures with the community.
These events were run on a monthly basis, open to all for free (or optional donation), won accolades including the Irish Food Writers Guild community award in 2018, along with funding from bodies like the Community Foundation For Ireland and Community Integration Fund.
The project has evolved in many ways; eg, last year they started to run supper clubs after completing training with local chef, Bríd Torrades, while some members have gone on to study culinary arts and work in the industry.
Most important, however, are the relationships that have grown out of the project. ICL talks to project co-ordinator Mabel Chah and farmer Keith Brennan about what it means to them.
Follow Sligo Global Kitchen on Facebook.
Mabel’s story
“We all need to eat,” says Mabel Chah simply of the success of SGK.
Originally from Cameroon, Mabel arrived in Ireland seven years ago and after living in direct provision for two years, achieved her citizenship. A musician and recent business graduate of IT Sligo, she is also the co-ordinator of SGK.
She explains that at the start, people living in direct provision did not have the facilities to cook for themselves; something many of us take for granted. But what began as practical became personal as the events opened up to the wider community.
“It’s an opportunity for you to try new things that you would have never eaten in your lifetime and when you sit down at this table, the barriers are dropped,” says Mabel. “You really get a sense of belonging and a sense of being involved.”
At one event, SGK fed up to 400 people; but COVID-19 meant that larger group events have been put on pause. When restrictions eased over the summer, however, they came up with the idea of running “Dine with the chef” events over the summer, where a SGK chef would invite four people to their home for dinner, while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
“We come from places where having people come and share with you is considered empowering and just very social,” says Mabel, who explains that the reaction has been so positive that they are exploring developing these events to generate a sustainable revenue stream for SGK once lockdown restrictions ease.
Whenever life returns to normal, however, the community events will return, while they are also keen to continue working with local farmers and fishermen.
“(And) making lasting friendships and relationships,” concludes Mabel.
Keith’s story
Keith Brennan runs Hawthorn Hill Farm in Roscommon, specialising in high-welfare, rare-breed sheep, goats, pigs and seasonal turkeys.
Originally from Dublin, he explains that after relocating to the country, his family wanted to get involved in the community in a “meaningful and positive” way; and so donated a goat and a hogget to SGK to cater for a number of events, including a west African-feast.
“Being from west Africa, they were specifically interested in older livestock,” explains Keith. “They had particular difficulty getting goat, which for lots of the west African communities would be a speciality and in some ways they can’t really believe what we do with food; and what we don’t cook with.”
Joining the event, Keith felt a “real sense” of how food can connect us, no matter where we come from.
“There was a real sense of recognition, for me, of sitting down and watching lots of different people from Nigeria, from Cameroon, from north Africa, all sitting down eating this food that brought them back to a place that they had left and brought them back to people that they had left as well,” says Keith.
“My mother taught me that food is love or can be if you prepare it in the right way… and I found myself thinking of those memories strongly.”
Keith also felt proud witnessing firsthand how much joy his produce brought to the people present, and has since helped to connect SGK with other local farmers. Given our own history of emigration, he believes we have more in common than we realise; and that sharing a meal is a great way to find out.
“Very fundamentally, the possibility of sitting down with somebody who you might think is dramatically different to you and eating food with them and gradually coming to see that that difference is artificial and doesn’t really exist; that’s really fantastic,” he says.