Refugees group gather to celebrate 10th anniversary

A DECADE ago heartbreaking pictures of a dead Syrian boy being carried along a Mediterranean beach were seen across the world.

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The Refugees Welcome Cheshire East group, based at Macclesfield Methodist Church

He drowned after he fled his homeland in a bid to find safety and among those to see his image were a group of like-minded people in Macclesfield and other nearby towns.

‘They were moved by this shocking tragedy and this was the catalyst to form Refugees Welcome Cheshire East, based out of Macclesfield Methodist Church.

The organisation was dedicated to helping children like the boy and their families once they arrive in our area.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the group has a team of 54 volunteers and has helped more than 700 refugees settle in Cheshire East.

Nicky Campbell, chair of trustees, said: “That picture was the catalyst, it was a small operation of like-minded people who got together.

“In 2017 we welcomed five Syrian families, we had done a huge amount of groundwork - not just finding houses and school places but getting the council to have the mindset to fund this.

“They needed a large amount of support but they are still here and are wonderful, wonderful people.

“(The parents) struggled with the language but within a few months the kids were speaking English with a Macclesfield accent”

In November 2021 the group helped five families from Afghanistan settle after escaping persecution from the country’s Taliban regime.

‘At this point they witnessed the diversity in refugees that arrive in the UK.

While many of the Syrians had only received education to the age of 10, one Afghan family had three masters degrees between them.