Momtaza Mehri, a former Young People’s Laureate for London, was born in London to Somali parents who left their home country in 1984. Introduced to poetry as a child, Mehri believes words are a powerful tool for exploring our place in the world and hopes to inspire the next generation of young people

Zoë Wanamaker was three when her family came to Britain to escape McCarthyism in the US. Her father, Sam Wanamaker, went on to found Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, while Zoë became an award-winning actor with leading roles in film, TV, the West End and on Broadway

Rising star Ncuti Gatwa was born in Kigali to Rwandan parents. He moved to the UK with his family in 1994, and he grew up in Edinburgh and Dunfermline before studying drama at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. He is best known for his scene-stealing role as Eric in the Netflix series Sex Education.

The writer Dina Nayeri fled Iran with her family at the age of eight, after her mother converted to Christianity. They spent two years as asylum seekers before settling in the US as refugees. Her most recent book, The Ungrateful Refugee, looks at the refugee experience from both a personal and journalistic perspective.

Lord Alf Dubs arrived in Britain on a train from Prague in 1939 when he was just six years old, one of 10,000 children rescued by the Kindertransport. Now a member of the House of Lords, he leads efforts to help a new generation of unaccompanied child refugees find safety in the UK.

Joudie Kalla is a British-Palestinian chef and the grandchild of Palestinian refugees. Having lived most of her life in London, she cooks to keep alive the memory of Palestine and the stories of generations affected by the occupation since 1948. Her books, Palestine on a Plate and Baladi, are inspired by her mother, aunties and grandmothers, who share her passion for cooking

Magid Magid, 29, became Sheffield’s youngest ever mayor and he has, in his own inimitable style, worked ever since to bring politics into the 21st century. He came to the UK aged five after leaving Somalia with his mother and siblings in search of safety.

Esther Freud’s father, Lucian Freud, was one of the finest painters of the 20th century. He moved from Berlin to London in 1933 to escape the Nazis (his grandfather, Sigmund, also found refuge in Britain before the war). Esther is a best-selling novelist whose debut novel, Hideous Kinky, was made into a film starring Kate Winslet.

The celebrated children’s author Judith Kerr fled Nazi Germany with her family after her father openly opposed Hitler. They found a home in London in 1935. Judith’s books The Tiger Who Came to Tea, the Mog series and her autobiographical novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit have been read and loved by generations of children.

Born in Damascus, Maya Youssef is a virtuoso player of the qanun, the Middle Eastern version of the zither. She uses her music to express memories of home and the loss wrought by war in her native Syria. She believes music is an antidote to the pain and suffering of people in Syria and across the world.

David Miliband’s parents fled to Britain from continental Europe as a result of the second world war. This experience continues to influence his work as head of the International Rescue Committee, which helps people affected by conflict and disaster. He served as foreign secretary in Gordon Brown’s Labour government.