The Sanctuary Runners club was set up two years ago to welcome asylum seekers to Ireland. It now has 1,500 runners
By Jonathan Drennan for the Guardian Sport Network
For many years the Irish journalist Graham Clifford travelled the world, reporting from refugee camps and charting the often perilous journeys of asylum seekers to Europe. For all the time and energy he put into his newspaper and radio reports, he ultimately felt unable to make a lasting difference. That changed in the unlikely setting of Dungarvan, a coastal town in County Waterford, where Clifford struck upon an idea that would have a positive, long-lasting impact on the asylum seekers in his own community.
“I would never say that I am a natural runner, but I found myself in this 10-mile race in Dungarvan,” explains Clifford. “I say race, but I was just trying to keep going. When you’re going through these runs, you find yourself with time to think and, as I was doing the race, I looked around at the other runners and the community, and just thought: ‘I wonder, could I do something with running to make new arrivals to our country feel that bit more welcome?’ It was a very rough idea but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Written by Jonathan Drennan
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/behind-the-lines/2020/feb/27/sanctuary-runners-running-club-giving-asylum-seekers-hope-home-ireland under the title “The running club giving asylum seekers friendship and sense of home”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
