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'Little Amal', an 11 ft high puppet of a Syrian refugee child, visited Brighton yesterday (30 March). The visit took place in two parts with Amal visiting refugee and asylum seeking families at the Fitzherbert Community Hub attached to St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Kemptown on Thursday afternoon, followed by a symbolic evening walk along Brighton beach attended by an estimated 1,000 people from across the local community. Speaking about Amal's visit, parish priest, Fr Kieron O'Brien said:

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"The Diocese has a long established relationship with Voices in Exile, the Brighton based refugee charity. Voices are partners with the local parish in the Fitzherbert Community Hub, which has its base next to St John the Baptist Church, together with the Brighton Table Tennis Club and The Real Junk Food Project.

"It was wonderful that we could welcome Little Amal onto our site, so that she could interact with some of the refugee and asylum seeking families who have found a home in Brighton. The visit of Amal not only offered support and encouragement to our local migrant families but the public event on the seafront - as well as being fun - was a good witness to the plight of refugees in general, and a strong sign that not everybody agrees with the hostile environment created by current practice and policies.

"The recent document from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference 'Love the Stranger', sets out our Catholic position in some detail and the recent visit of Amal brought these principles to life with a combination of drama, fun and peaceful protest."

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Speaking to Brighton & Hove newspaper, The Argus, Little Amal Artistic director Amir Nazir said:

“The whole project stems from the idea that refugees are thought of as a problem, when actually they’re not, they’re potential.

“By walking with Amal through cities and through communities, creating a big art spectacle and creating big moments where the community can gather and think of itself and how it receives others, proves the case that refugees shouldn’t be regarded as a burden.

“The awareness to the plight of refugees is always crucial.”

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‍Amal has visited 13 countries to date, travelling more than 13,000 miles. To find out more about her journey click here.