Welcoming Hong Kongers Reception (WC4HK)
Event type: ReceptionDate: 31/01/2023
Location: Public Hall
British Future houses the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers team within its offices. We are proud partners working on Hong Kong BN(O) integration.
Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers one of the five national BN(O) Welcome Programme VCSE Grant recipients, invited a broad network on the 30th of January 2023 from 6PM – 9PM at PUBLIC Hall in Westminster, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the launch of the BN(O) Visa Scheme.
With the help of UK government funding and other foundations, many organisations around the UK offer support for over 140,000 newly arrived Hong Kongers to settle and build lives here in Britain. This event showcased some of the great work being done on welcoming. It gathered together those who have supported projects to welcome Hong Kongers and look ahead to the third year of integration work, while also celebrating the Lunar New Year.
Speakers:
- Rt Hon Felicity Buchan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
- Eddie, a BN(O) Hong Konger who is now a volunteer at UK Welcomes Refugees & Hei Chow, Senior Community Organiser of UK Welcomes Refugees.
- Daniel Korski, Chair of the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers.
This evening of celebrations acknowledged the combined efforts of the UK government, funded organisations and others who have all helped to make this scheme a great success so far. Guests enjoyed Hong Kong-style snacks from the AddOilBakery and were invited to try their hand at making their own Fai-Chuns using traditional methods and papers.
This was an invite-only event. To be invited to future such events please contact info@britishfuture.org. or visit https://www.welcomehk.org/news/second-annivesary
(Below: Sunder Katwala, alongside Nathan Law, Stephan Kinnock MP, Daniel Korski at the event holding Fai-Chuns (red papers with Lunar New Year greetings), meaning “welcome” and “Settle in well”, as they looked forward to the Year of the Rabbit.)


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