On Friday 16th December, Sanctuary in Chichester led a group of asylum-seeking young people from Iran, Syria, Eritrea and China to the Novium Museum in Chichester.

The Tim Peake Exhibition had just opened, and so the teenagers were able to see the exhibits and memorabilia of his trip into space and engage with the interactive displays.

We also saw other galleries which made an impression on them – the Roman Empire extended to some of their countries too ! The age of the current Chichester buildings also intrigued them, and of course, the historic costumes in the naval gallery proved a great hit.

This trip was important because it helped the young people further understand our culture, it provided proof of some shared history, and gave the group an opportunity to interact with each other in English. It was also a concrete demonstration that the people of Chichester are there for them.