It is with deep sadness that we share this tribute to Richard Williams, a longstanding member and friend of the Sussex Sanctuary and Migration research community. 

Richard was a specialist independent consultant with an in-depth knowledge of UK and EU refugee and migration policy, with expertise in evaluation, training, policy analysis and advocacy, having previously worked in broadcast journalism. 

He was affiliated to University of Sussex School of Global Studies as an Associate Researcher for many years, and an inspiration and advisor to many projects including University of Sussex’s ‘University of Sanctuary’ initiative. 

Among his many roles, Richard was a Trustee of City of Sanctuary UK, having co-founded and then chaired the local City of Sanctuary group in Brighton and Hove, Sanctuary on Sea, and a Trustee of the Hummingbird Refugee Project, which supports young unaccompanied refugees.

Richard was a remarkable person we felt privileged to have known and spent time with. On Thursday 15 January, in jam-packed rooms at Stanmer House in Brighton, tributes and memories were shared. 

Richard’s kindness, generosity, non-judgemental nature and willingness to listen were mentioned many times over, amid anecdotes about the difference he had made, especially within Brighton and Hove’s refugee and sanctuary communities. People described how Richard’s small acts, as well as his support and friendship, had a profound impact on their lives.

Last year some of us wrote a blog post about the power of community to support those displaced by environmental disaster, conflict and violence. We wrote:

In this way, Richard helped create community through the connections he made. His work and friendships in the local community facilitated the exchange of knowledge, language, humour, music, food: helping build what we often describe as the sanctuary community in Brighton and Hove. 

Richard recognised the different spaces in which communities could grow. In a piece about the City of Sanctuary initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic, Richard was quoted as saying:

Richard was an ever-present at the Sussex Centre for Migration Research conferences and dinners over the last decade. He always made himself available to support and lead local causes. He made a lasting impact on support for refugees in Brighton alongside many other social justice causes. We will miss him deeply.

In memory of Richard’s rich contribution to our university and local community, SCMR plans to dedicate a prize in his honour to the MA migration student who does most to raise and support refugee voices through research and/or activism. 

Richard’s family have requested that those who wish to remember Richard can do so by making a contribution to Hummingbird, one of the organisations that he held so dear: https://chuffed.org/project/163825-in-memory-of-richard-williams 

Individual tributes 

Since I arrived in Sussex in 2016, Richard was always a recurrent name. Someone people encouraged me to contact, someone who knew what was going on in the region in relation to migration and asylum, someone who was not only well networked but always supportive and constructive. My individual interactions with Richard confirmed that. When I started working on setting up a Migration Law Clinic at the University of Sussex together with Judith Townend, Richard was there, available to offer wise words of advice, useful tips, and suggestions about the possible scope and priorities of the Clinic. The Clinic eventually came to fruition, thanks to Richard and other wonderful supporters. Richard was also a beacon of hope in relation to a range of other social justice causes, and key to rallying interest for so many community activities. The way he combined knowledgeable advice, calm demeanour, and a friendly smile was so inspiring. He’ll be sorely missed. (Nuno Ferreira, University of Sussex)

It was over a decade ago that I made contact with the fledgling Sanctuary on Sea group to see how I might become involved as a volunteer. I expect it was Richard who answered my email, and I met him for the first time at a meeting where he and other members were very warm and welcoming; I remember being struck by what a lovely and interesting group of people they were. I’m grateful that I was able to become part of that community too, and thankful for the connections and friendships that Richard and others helped facilitate. In the years I knew Richard I was impressed by his kindness and deep commitment to building community for those seeking sanctuary, and have greatly benefited from his generosity of time and expertise. Richard encouraged those of us based at University of Sussex with our application to become a University of Sanctuary, which we did in 2020. In the years since, he was on hand for advice and guidance based on his many years working as a migration specialist. Behind the scenes, he was often advocating for individuals and providing an invaluable source of support for those from backgrounds of forced migration. Re-reading old messages now, I’m struck by the care and detail of his replies, and always encouraging and open to hearing the views of others. In recent years, I enjoyed conversations with him at the annual SCMR dinner in Brighton and learning a bit more about his other interests, experiences and travel; I was always pleased if I’d been seated near him. Richard will be so missed by those in the Sanctuary and University community. (Judith Townend, University of Sussex) 

I met Richard while I was still a practising lawyer, when I was asked to work on a research project at Migration Work, a consultancy CIC that he was one of the founders of. I had an ‘interview’ with him and one of the other co-founders in a cafe in the North Laine and immediately knew we were going to be friends. He was so much at the heart of everything to do with refugees and migrants in Brighton, as well as nationally and internationally, that we saw each other often. He was also always up for a birthday party – one of my nicest recent memories is of sunset drinks on the hillfort on the evening of my 50th birthday. We were in the same room, having a meeting about another project, when the news came through that the Supreme Court had concluded the Rwanda scheme was unlawful, so we all shared the enormous relief and joy, which is all too rare when you work in anything related to migrant and refugee support at the moment! A wonderful man, friend and colleague, and I miss him. (Jo Wilding, University of Sussex)

Richard has been such a key part of the local migrant and refugee rights community, it’s hard to imagine how it will be without him. Richard was a regular at our SCMR events and always an authoritative source of information, as well as a lot of fun to chat with. When the Taliban regained power, Richard was a huge support to our Afghan students who needed to be evacuated. He was extremely generous in providing practical advice and guidance to them, and sharing access to his extensive network of contacts. But most importantly, he was a friend to them and a kind listener, spending hours on the phone and WhatsApp with them, as they went through such a confusing, chaotic and scary time.  They, and I, will always remember his support, and I imagine that’s multiplied many times over given the huge number of people he’s worked with and helped over the years.  Richard, you will be sorely missed. (Ceri Oeppen, Co-Director of SCMR, University of Sussex)

I am grateful that I was able to meet Richard and learn from him over the years. He was a kind, warm and deeply knowledgeable person who led the way, consistently and in so many ways. A true inspiration who left a deep impression on me – personally and professionally. I lack words, beside that he will be so, so missed. (Sarah Scuzzarello, SCMR, University of Sussex)

It’s hard to remember exactly when I first met Richard, because he was someone who was always just there — quietly working in the sanctuary community, generously sharing his knowledge and wisdom. I remember we began working together more formally around a decade ago, when I joined Sanctuary on Sea. Richard, nearly always accompanied by his dog Chester, chaired our meetings with his characteristic warmth, modesty, and gentle humour. He had a way of making everyone feel heard and valued. Richard was generous with his time and believed deeply in community and in the need to work together to build a world that was more compassionate, and more just for people seeking sanctuary. He was a beacon of light and we will miss him greatly.  (Linda Morrice, University of Sussex)

I found Richard to be quiet and unassuming as a person but a strong presence whenever we bumped into each other. These encounters were usually social justice campaigns or academic events with public outreach where Richard had done much of the background heavy-lifting to make them happen. I recall the launch of Brighton as Sanctuary on Sea, where three of our fantastic MA migration students were strongly involved in bringing things together and how warmly they spoke of working with and learning under Richard’s guidance. We opened the Migrant Lives Matter arts and music festival together at the ACCA some years back. By that time Richard was already a regular at our SCMR conference and famous dinners, something that continued even this October. Richard was funny and had a dark slightly sarcastic sense of humour, always asking me what he had done to deserve an invite this year. To which the correct reply would be: probably as much if not more than anyone else in stitching together the networks of Brighton’s progressive NGO community linked to the University than anyone else. I always enjoyed chatting and catching up – there was a lot of mutual respect between Richard and the SCMR community. He was one of the family.

Alongside Richard’s strong dedication to supporting the refugee community and a myriad of social justice causes, for which he is probably known most locally, he was a Europeanist and we often chatted about Europe, politically and culturally, before Britain’s opportunity to participate in those ideas and projects was brutally cut off to no benefit nor purpose. I didn’t know Richard well personally, but our lives had put us on the same side of most arguments. He was omnipresent at progressive community events I attended and a calming and gentle presence. I am saddened by his passing and will miss him, not least at next year’s SCMR-JEMS conference. I’m pleased that we at the SCMR are going to dedicate a prize in his honour to the MA migration student who does most to raise and support “refugee voices” through research and/or activism.

When I look at the remarkable sizeable donation to be made to Hummingbird in his honour and I think about the massive number of people crammed into Stanmer House at his memorial event -I even met my greengrocer there!- it is clear that many people appreciate, value, and are touched by Richard’s contributions as a person and an activist. Perhaps Richard was not able to fully appreciate this himself at times, but I truly hope that in better moments he was. Brighton has lost the go-to person joining all the dots of the progressive NGO community. We will miss him. And so will future refugee communities who will not know him. What to say? Perhaps the best way to commemorate Richard is to keep the light burning on the causes he held so dear in the difficult times we face today.    (Paul Statham, SCMR Director, UoS)

In celebrating Richard’s 50^th birthday – I remember telling him that he was the ideal global citizen. That term was out of fashion, even then, but Richard always embodied the combination of analysis and activism that I think it required and his vision was always big. He was always so thoughtful, and clear on the practical implications of concern for others; so insightful in his strategies for turning ideas into actual change and so inspirational in his continual, tireless effort to do the often thankless work of making that happen. I was always very proud to consider him a friend.

I first met Richard in 1998 in Brussels where he was the EU Representative for the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). I was a PhD student and had made an appointment with him for my own research – he always had a particular interest in, and patience for research that was not very common amongst that very high level of EU focused activists. He took time to explain the implications of various arcane bits of legislation and whenever I was back in Brussels, he gave up time to meet. A decade later and we were both back in Brighton. We set up a visiting fellowship for him at Sussex and renewed it every three years – 2008 until now. Richard was the longest running visiting fellow in the School of Global Studies. Others have spoken about the impact he had on the University, but more than a decade of cohorts on our MA Migration programmes and doctoral researchers got to know him and those with an activist interest have become close friends.When Richard set up Sanctuary on Sea, in 2014, I was excited to get involved. Having worked for so long at a national and international level, Richard really understood the value of work in the city. I took over as chair on a temporary basis when he stepped down in 2024 and only then realised quite how much work he had been doing across the community. He had set up new networks during Covid, a new listserv for refugee support in the city that now has more than 100 people on it and pretty much single-handedly kept an active social media profile and regular newsletter going. He also developed connections with the Council and was regularly involved as a trustee of City of Sanctuary UK. He was a one-man campaigning organisation. His impact remains across the city and beyond. He has been, and will always be, an impossible act to follow. (Mike Collyer, Head of Geography, University of Sussex).