A man from Hong Kong who moved to Nottingham with his family has explained why he loves the city ahead of a festival welcoming arrivals from the country. The St Nic's Church in Nottingham will play host to an expected 500 people at an event welcoming people who have arrived in the city under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme.
The visa programme for Hong Kong was introduced by the UK Government in January 2021 after the passing of a controversial security law there by China, which gives Beijing more powers over crime and punishment in the territory. Government data shows there had been 140,500 applications for a visa through the BN(O) route by June 2022, with the Office for National Statistics estimating that 28,000 had arrived by the same month.
The event in Nottingham, being held between 11am and 3pm on Saturday, January 14, has been organised with the help of the UKHK, an organisation which was set up to help integrate people arriving in the UK from Hong Kong. Tango Chan, who in his late 40s, works part-time at the St Nic's Church as its UKHK project assistant.
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Mr Chan moved to the UK in December 2021 with his wife Jenny Yip, 40, and his son and daughter, aged 15 and 12 respectively. Discussing the St Nic's Church event, known as the Friendship Festival, Mr Chan said: "This will be the first Friendship Festival held in Nottingham and I believe we are fully booked.
"The event is partly about celebrating the Lunar New Year. But this is also about building relationships for the Hong Kong BN(O) holders who are now living in the city."
Speaking about why he loved living in Nottingham, Mr Chan said: "One of the priorities was the education for my children and so far they have settled into school really well and have made friends. We all really enjoy living in Nottingham and I actually think that the weather here is better than in other areas of the UK such as London and Manchester.
"Another thing we noticed was the food, there are a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables that you can buy and which are really tasty. We live near Wollaton Park, which is a lovely place for exercise.
"We have also enjoyed seeing sights in other parts of the UK, like the Eden Project and Stonehenge. But we all really enjoy Nottingham and I'm not sure what will happen in the future in terms of if the children decide to go to university in another area, but we are definitely staying in Nottingham for now."
The St Nic's Church event will feature a range of different stalls, music and children's entertainment, along with British and Hong Kong cuisine. Nine Friendship Festivals will be taking place across the UK over January, February and March.
Emily Shepherd, the joint CEO of Welcome Churches, said: "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."
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