‘SYRIAN refugees should be welcomed in Malvern with open arms’ was the message when more than 100 protestors held a demonstration in the town.
Dozens of supporters of the Malvern Welcomes Syria Refugees campaign took part in an organised walk which saw the group hand over a petition to Malvern District Council – signed by around 1,200 people.
The group has been campaigning since last December to bring a small number of families into Malvern from the war-torn country.
But bosses at Malvern Hills District Council say they need funding assurances from the Government before they can agree to bring the refugees to the town.
The ten minute demonstration started at Malvern Priory with campaigners, holding ‘refugees welcome’ placards, making the short walk to the landmark Elgar statue and then the council’s headquarters on Graham Road to formally hand the petition papers to Coun Melanie Baker, the council’s head of planning and housing.
The demonstration also marked the death of six children who froze to death last year in refugee camps on the Syria border.
To mark their deaths, campaigners also presented the council a wreath containing six snowflakes with each one representing one of the children who died.
Campaigner and Malvern resident Ruth Forecast told the Observer she was thrilled with the turnout of people at the demonstration.
“It was great to see so many people attend – it shows the strong feeling there is here,” she said.
“I’m not surprised by the turnout because I know there is plenty of support for the refugees in Malvern.
“Malvern is a beautiful town and will provide an excellent location for the refugees to stay and learn. I feel they will make a good contribution to the society here.
“It’s been great campaigning but we now want to start planning the delivery stage.
Former Malvern Mayor Coun Julian Roskams, who is one of just three leading figures from the UK to address an international conference on the matter next week in Brussels, also led the group’s demonstration.
He said: “It’s been a fantastic turnout and hopefully the council will sit up and take notice.”
Coun Baker said: “I received a petition from Malvern Welcomes Syrian Refugees.
“As we have stated previously, helping the most vulnerable people caught up in the Syrian conflict will require a carefully co-ordinated package of support provided by a number of different organisations.
“We need the right resources from the government over the next five years in order to successfully help them to integrate fully into the community.
“Discussions are taking place between various organisations to determine what resources are available locally whilst we wait for confirmation regarding the funding.”
