Breaking new ground

Following the visit by a  Home Office representative in April, a group of local people have been meeting at the cafe to discuss and plan the settlement of (a few)  Syrian refugee families in our small town. The initiative is distinct from the local authority scheme (whereby city/county councils will provide accommodation and services) in that it will involve independent local groups taking responsibility for  identifying suitable  properties and available resources, meeting, welcoming and settling in the assigned families, and assisting them to integrate for a year by which time (if not before) they  should be sufficiently established to be self-supporting. 
Ours will be one of a small number of pilot projects so it's something of an act of faith and much will depend on the reception that the families will get from local people. Our next move will be to introduce the idea to  the wider community. We know that not everyone will be enthusiastic but we hope that the majority of them will be able to identify with the plight of desperate people rather than feel threatened by them. 
Watch this space for further developments!

(If you're interested you can read  here about the refugees who arrived six months ago on the Scottish island of Bute, another remote rural community with problems of its own.)