New “Friendship Festival” to welcome Hong Kong arrivals now living in Warrington

WITH an estimated 2,500 people moving to Warrington from Hong Kong, a special “Friendship Festival” is set to take place in the town this weekend.

The town will host its first-ever Friendship Festival, offering a VIP celebration to welcome arrivals from Hong Kong.

The sold-out event is expected to attract over 400 people and will be hosted at Pyramid Art Centre on February, 11th 2023 at 11 am and finishing at 3 pm.

Around 140,000 people from Hong Kong have arrived into the UK following the introduction of British Nationals Overseas (BNO) visa scheme offered by the UK Government in January 2021. The event, centred around the Lunar New Year festivities, will celebrate the coming together of cultures and draw in on traditions, food, and fun activities that many would usually enjoy when back home in Hong Kong.

Local authority figures, including the Mayor of Warrington, Cllr. Jean Flaherty, will be in attendance, as well as churches, musicians, and other organisations.
The event will feature a range of different stalls, music, children’s entertainment, along with British and Hong Kong cuisine, and it is hoped arrivals will feel the welcome from the breadth of the Warrington community.

Lionel Lee, one of the Festival’s organisers, moved to the UK from Hong Kong with his family in 2021 and now works for a Cheshire-based charity.
He said: “I love the UK and my family love it. We thought we’d need some time to get used to living here but we are finding it very easy to adapt. Our neighbours have told us about everything in the UK and have been so helpful… we would now call them friends. We like the peaceful life here and the sense of freedom of speech.
“There has never been an event like this in Warrington. We thought it would take a while to sell tickets but to our surprise, it was 80 per cent full after two days of advertising and now all the tickets have gone. It’s important for the two cultures to come together to understand and learn about each other. We are inviting our British friends to the event to experience different Hong Kong food and some of our traditions.”
Organised by UKHK, a project of the charity Welcome Churches, and in partnership with many local churches, the Festival aims to build local friendships, and encourage Hong Kong arrivals to feel more confident in asking for help and accessing the services they may need. Friendship Festivals held in localities across Britain over the last year have welcomed over 7000 people.
This event is one of the first of a series of nine Friendship Festivals across the UK over January, February and March. Partially funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, these events and activities are part of a national effort to help welcome those arriving from Hong Kong.

Emily Shepherd, joint CEO of Welcome Churches, says, “Thousands of people from Hong Kong have made a hugely difficult decision to move themselves and their families to the UK on the BN(O) visa route. We want these Friendship Festivals to be a place where Hong Kongers can come together, share their challenges and experiences together, make new friends and experience a true welcome from their local communities. UKHK exists to ensure every new arrival from Hong Kong has the support and connections they need to build a life here in the UK. Our hope is that every Hong Kong arrival – and those still in Hong Kong thinking of moving over – will be welcomed, make friends, and know that they can call this country their home.”
In addition, every child attending the family-friendly event will receive an exclusive book entitled “Welcome to the UK”, written especially for children from Hong Kong and help them adjust to life and culture here in the UK.
For more information on the Warrington festival, please visit www.ukhk.org/friendship-festivals