Library of Sanctuary

Newcastle Libraries was honoured to be re-accredited as a Library of Sanctuary in December 2024. We are committed to doing everything we can to offer a place of safety, support and welcome to new arrivals to our City. 

“Newcastle has been welcoming people seeking sanctuary for many years. While those seeking asylum have no choice over where in the UK they are dispersed to, we take great pride in the fact that so many refugees chose to settle here once their claim for asylum has been determined. As a city we are committed to doing what we can to welcome those seeking sanctuary and to help rebuild lives.”

Visit the Newcastle City of Sanctuary website.

Help with English

Library reading groups help people improve their English literacy. Working in small groups we read aloud to increase confidence, improve pronunciation and enjoy a good story! See our Practise English webpage for times and locations.

Library Welcome Tours 

City Library offers adapted welcome tours for refugees, those seeking asylum or anyone with English as an additional language. Contact us if you’d like to arrange a group visit.

Book Collections

The Improving Readers collection has books for English Learners, at all levels. Library staff can help you choose the right books to support your learning. The World Languages collection has books in the most spoken languages in the city and a Library of Sanctuary features stories of migration and displacement.

Events and Activities

Every year, Newcastle Libraries celebrates Refugee Week and Mother Language Day, including a wonderful day of Storytimes delivered by Sanctuary seekers in their native languages. Our welcoming and accessible activities program includes Knit and Crochet Clubs, a Mancala drop-in and a wide range of sessions for children and families. See our Page Turner brochure for all event listings. 

For more information about our Library of Sanctuary work, contact us.