The Bishop of Coventry has joined tributes from across to the city to Penny Walker, the founder of Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre.
Penny was a pioneer in Coventry for the rights of refugees and migrants, spending her life fighting for social justice and human rights. She was a friendly face to new arrivals in Coventry, many of whom had fled persecution, war and torture in search of a better life. She did an extraordinary amount of work in and outside of Coventry to advocate for those who did not have a voice.
Penny's legacy lives on in the now thriving Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, which she established as Coventry Refugee Centre in 1998.
Former CEO of the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, Sabir Zazai, recounts meeting Penny when he arrived in Coventry in the 1990s as a refugee from Afghanistan:
"At the height of the Taliban regime, I left Afghanistan and my family behind and in search of a welcome, hospitality and peace came to Coventry where I could rebuild my life. I was given accomodation in Hillfields and through word of mouth heard about a laundrette that was giving out clothes and advice to local people in need. I opened the door, and someone says to me 'you are very welcome here and before you know it you will be Coventrians', and that was Penny. After my perilous journey I was only after that smile, welcome. It was a gem shining in a very dark moment for us, she gave us hope and inspiration."
Mr Zazai recalled a campaign he and Penny set up after a chance conversation:
"One day we were sitting in the Peace House, just before Nowrouz (Persian New Year), we chatted about Afghanistan and I talked about my childhood, and she asked about what happened in Nowrouz. I said we would normally fly kites, but a sky filled with kites had become a sky full of drones. We set up a campaign called fly kites not drones, which became an international campaign, picked up by various peace movements.In Penny I found the best of the British values of welcome, and that devotion of her life to social justice and human rights, she also instilled those values in us, so we can stand for the rights of others."
The Bishop of Coventry, the Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth paid tribute to Penny:
"Penny's courage and determination in her work to support the marginalised in our society, her unwavering work for peace and her commitment to refugees fleeing from war and persecution were truly inspirational. Penny’s example is one we need more than ever today in our world. I pray that Penny’s work will live on in Coventry and that her legacy will grow through those who seek to follow in her footsteps."
Penny Walker passed away peacefully on Saturday May 22 2021, aged 70, after a battle with cancer.