A CAMPAIGN group aiming to help a number of Syrian refugee families move to Malvern say its delighted council bosses have made a commitment to move them into the town.
The group known as Malvern Welcomes Syrian Refugees has been set up in the town over the past year campaigning for the county to strike a deal so the most vulnerable Syrian families can have a new life in the county.
And their wishes came true when Worcestershire County Council announced it would make a bid to the Government to help move 50 Syrian refugees into the county.
Campaign founder Ruth Forecast said: “This is the culmination of a very long and hard-fought campaign, a humanitarian response motivated by the desire to play our own small part to alleviate the unrelenting suffering of the innocent victims of a terrible civil war.
“Our resolute refusal to take no for an answer or to be discouraged by the many obstacles that have been put in our way, was made easier by the support of thousands of local people and the tireless dedication of our volunteers.
“Malvern Welcomes is now looking forward to working closely with the council to ensure our bid is as strong as possible.”
In October the campaign group made a protest march in Malvern town centre before handing over a petition to Malvern District Council which was signed by around 1,200 people.
Town and district councillor Julian Roskams, who is also a member of the campaign group said, “The councils have at last concluded that the case for resettlement that Coun Raine and I put forward in December 2014, and the evidence presented to support it, was indeed robust.
“We are of course relieved that a decision has at last been taken to proceed, but we urge the politicians now to move as quickly as possible. Since the councils have been deliberating on this issue, many thousands of refugees have died – some starving or freezing to death in refugee camps, others drowning while making the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean.
“The time for prevarication is over – and Malvern Welcomes is looking to play its full part in preparing the resettlement bid and welcoming refugees to our area as soon as possible.”
Malvern Welcomes campaigners say they hope to meet council leaders and other agencies in the near future with a view to collaborating with them on the bid and developing a schedule and action plan for receiving refugees in the near future.
