Fylde Council has responded to the Government’s UK Resettlement scheme by committing to extend current refugee resettlement support to welcome five Afghan families fleeing the conflict, as well as looking to see how the borough can offer additional help as the situation develops.
It is recognised that these families and those across the country will need support on their arrival and the Council is committed to ensuring each family that Fylde welcomes has the means to successfully resettle and prosper in their new community.
The Council has also received requests from the public as to how to offer direct help to those in urgent need. In Lancashire, the most urgent priority is finding housing.
Councillor Karen Buckley, Leader of Fylde Council, said:
“We’ve all seen the terrible pictures on the news of the situation unfolding in Afghanistan leading to the urgent evacuation of thousands of people by the US and UK military in the space of a couple of weeks since the Taliban took control of Kabul. The recent call from the Government for urgent support has made clear that councils up and down the country must come together to offer shelter, initially to 5,000 refugees in the first year and a total of 20,000 over five years, under the UK Resettlement Scheme. Fylde Council is joining with neighbouring authorities to pledge their support and the search is on for houses of 3 bedrooms or more which are available for at least 12 months.”
If you can offer a property, please contact the Refugee Integration Team at: ritteam@lancashire.gov.uk.
Donations of clothing, food or furniture are most in need at the holding hotels in Manchester. You can donate items to the hotels through Care4Calais at www.care4calais.org
Other refugee families across Lancashire are always in need of clothes and food items. Here are just a few of the organisations Lancashire authorities work with who are currently taking donations:
- Maundy Relief, Accrington: https://www.maundyrelief.org.uk/
- Arc Blackburn: https://www.arcprojectblackburn.com/aboutus.htm
- New Neighbours Together, Burnley: https://www.nntburnley.org/…/24/afghan-refugees-welcome/
- Jasmine Centre, Fleetwood: https://volunteercentrebwf.org.uk/syrian…/jasmine-centre/
- Global Link Lancaster: https://globallink.org.uk/
- British Red Cross Refugee Support, Preston: https://www.redcross.org.uk/…/contact-your-local
Councillor Buckley added: “I’m immensely proud to see the people of Fylde yet again eager to offer their help in terms of time and money for those most in need. As a Council we’re committed to ensuring support for the families that Fylde is set to welcome so they can safely settle in the borough and rebuild their lives. We are looking to partner with a local charity to co-ordinate collections of specific items once we know the needs of the families we are welcoming.”
In the meantime, those who would like to offer additional support, be it cultural workshops, vacant properties, career coaching, language skills, job offers, transportation, legal services, health services, or befriending, can register their interest through the government website https://www.gov.uk/help-refugees
By leaving your contact information along with details of the support you want to offer, Fylde Council will be able to contact you if and when required during the course of the resettlement programme.
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