On Wednesday May 21 2025 we gathered in Derry’s Cultúrlann for a Cross-Cultural Céili, organised in conjunction with our friends at Sole Purpose Productions.

It was a truly amazing evening with around 140 people in attendance – a mix of our members and people and families from the local community.

We ate, we danced, we sang, we laughed.

Thank you to everyone who attended, cooked, performed or contributed in any way. And thank you to Radius Housing for providing funding. Without you we would not have been able to put on what was a wonderful event to mark World Diversity Day.

On March 13 2025 dozens of our members waited until 6.32pm before breaking their Ramadan fast. What followed was an evening of gorgeous food in a room full of chatter and laughter. So many nationalities in the one room, all human, all with their own worries, tribulations, aspirations and thoughts of the future.

“Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” – Mahatma Gandhi.

A second splash of award-night portraits captured by Marie McGrellis highlights the honorees and atmosphere inside the Ebrington Hotel.

Over 250 people gathered in The Ebrington Hotel on March 6 2025 for our fourth Advancing Race Equality Awards.
It was an incredible evening for many reasons, but mainly for the inspiring individuals and organisations whose work in tackling racism and breaking down barriers we celebrated.

Our host, author, activist and politician Chantelle Lunt, flew in from Liverpool just for the awards. She described it as a truly memorable night.

The winners were:

Schools Anti-Racism Art Competition Ambassadors: Georgia Forsythe (Secondary School) and Maisie-Kate Nixon (Primary School)

Anti-Racism School of the Year: St Eugene’s Primary School

Anti-Racism Teacher of the Year: Bronagh Fikri (NWRC)

Community Champion: Mohammed Idris

Advancing Racial Justice and Fairness: Daniel Sanusi

Anti-Racism Leader of the Year: Takura Makoni

Anti-Racism Media of the Year: Derry News

Young Leader: Daniel Sanusi

Lifetime Achievement: Patricia Byrne of Sole Purpose Productions

Special Recognition Award: Foyle Food Bank

Following a hugely successful Summer Club, Aoife, Caitlin, Molly, Adrián, Ahmed and the rest of our amazing youth team got the band back together for a big Christmas bash. There was face painting, dressing up, shenanigans, music and of course lots and lots of food.
It was a brilliant day and the perfect way to tumble down into the final few days before Christmas itself. We are constantly in awe of our young people, their energy, imagination and desire to drive real change. Thanks guys.

Santa Claus made a grand appearance at our annual Christmas party on December 19, bringing with him gifts for all the little ones. There were wide-eyes everywhere as the big man in the red suit took his seat to hear what everyone wanted on Christmas morning. As always, the food was exceptional and thank you to everyone who took the time to cook and contribute. A lovely way to spend our last evening before the festive break.

Black History Summit 2024 was a special event for numerous reasons.

It was the first time that we took the event out of Derry, moving it instead to Ulster University Belfast. This opened it up to individuals and organisations who otherwise may not have made the journey to the north west and as a result, brought us the largest crowd our Summit has ever attracted.

It was also notable for the fact that our key speaker was Kenneth B Morris, great-great-great grandson of social reformer, author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Mr Morris made the trip from New York purely for our Summit, a commitment we were deeply humbled by.

And it was an opportunity for us to officially launch our ‘Black Heritage in NI: The Hidden History Project’, made possible by The National Lottery’s Heritage Fund.

A truly momentous day and one that saw our Black History Summit move to a new level in terms of exposure.

On August 31 2024 we joined forces with the inimitable Ed Emery, musician, author, lecturer and activist, for an evening of Kurdish and Irish music in Derry’s Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin.

It turned out to be an amazing night of dancing and joy as people from multiple backgrounds and cultures brought Cultúrlann to life.

Food, music, laughter – The perfect way to bring the curtain down on what was a less than stellar summer.

Thank you to the SOAS Ceilidh Band and to everyone who made it a very special evening indeed.

Our Brooke Park Family Fun Day took place on July 27 2024 and what a day it was! Our hopes weren’t particularly high given the largely damp summer it had been up until that point. But it turned out to be an absolute corker of a day with the sun shining from the moment we arrived until the last hotdog came off the barbecue. Thank you to everyone who attended and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Our Summer Club took place throughout July and August with youth leaders Adrián, Aoife, Caitlin and Molly back to co-ordinate things.

And they did a sterling job with dozens of children enjoying trips to the cinema, to the bowling alley, to Foyle Arena and to St Columb’s Park.

The weeks of fun were topped off with a two-day residential in Todd’s Leap Activity Centre near Dungannon, making it a summer that will live long in the memory of all those who participated.

On June 10 2024 we gathered in our offices to celebrate the work of our volunteers, without whom our charity would not exist.

It was the newly inducted Mayor Lilian Seenoi Barr’s first official engagement and we were delighted to have her with us to say a big thank you to those who keep the wheels of the North West Migrants Forum turning.

May 20 2024 was a proud day for us, the day we helped orchestrate Little Amal’s first ever visit to Derry.

Little Amal is the 12 foot puppet of  a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk.  She has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees.

Since July 2021, Amal has travelled to 160 towns and cities in 16 countries and been welcomed by two million people on the street and by tens of millions online.  Almost 500 events unique to each community that she visits have been created for her by thousands of artists and civil society and faith leaders. Her journeys are festivals of art and hope that draw attention to the huge numbers of children fleeing war, violence and persecution, each with their own story. Her urgent message to the world is ‘Don’t forget about us’.