About Us

Welcoming the Stranger

Walk for Justice 2013Each year thousands of people fleeing persecution in their own countries, arrive as strangers to seek refuge in the United Kingdom. By the summer of 2005, a number of churches in Bradford were finding people seeking asylum in their congregations. Not only did these newcomers enrich the worship and fellowship of those congregations but local people and ministers began to discover the real hardships that they faced. BEACON was set up out of a shared concern to address the diverse needs of the many people seeking asylum and refugees who find themselves in the Bradford district.

BEACON became a registered charity in 2007. Our Registered Charity Number is 1119463

We now have a small staff team and a multitude of volunteers delivering our work. To find out more about the work of BEACON, visit our projects page

The BEACON staff team

Katy Armitstead, Team Leader

Amanda Labbett, Administrative Assistant

Will Sutcliffe, Hosting Coordinator

Audrey Smith, McKenzie Friends Coordinator

Lisa Mason, CHAT Coordinator