A family of Syrian refugees has touched the hearts of a small Welsh town that welcomed them after they were forced to flee their conflict-ridden home country.
After reports of a dramatic increase in racially-motivated crime following Britain’s decision to leave the EU, Aberystwyth has been praised for doing the exact opposite.
The grateful families of refugees from Syria have lived in Wales for six months, and handed out flowers to local residents to show their thanks.
Each flower had a tag attached with the words: “Diolch i chi am eich croeso/Thank you for welcoming us… Syrian refugees.”
Mohamed Karkoubi, one of 50 Syrian refugees taken in by Welsh councils under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme, stated that had been touched by the kind welcome since arriving in December, reportsWales Online.
In an interview with Channel 4, the 33-year-old Syrian blacksmith described his happiness at living in the town
Mohamed added that locals “received us with love and took care of us all the way”.
The father-of-three fled northern Syria, Aleppo, with only his papers and passport to Lebanon, where he was selected by the UN and Home Office to come to the UK.
Mohamad and his wife Eshraq are now living in a private-sector flat in Aberystwyth with his three children, twins Mayes and Rimes, three, and six-year-old Mostapha, who is attending a local school.
The costs of accommodation, along with education and healthcare, are initially being funded by the Westminster government.
The family were provided with furniture and toys donated by local people, and are receiving support from the Red Cross to help them settle into the area.
“It was difficult to leave as I left the people I love and my relatives,” Mohamad said.
“It was difficult, but what could we do? We were frightened for the children.
“We do not know what happened to our home. There was lots of bombing and airstrikes when we left the country.
“We left quickly just with our papers and passports, and nothing else,” he added.
While he looks for work and attends compulsory English classes, Mohamad – like many of the Syrian refugees in Aberystwyth – is volunteering in the area, and has visited a blacksmith to refresh his skills.
Among the other refugees beginning a new life in Ceredigion is 20-year-old Nisrine Sheikh Salim.
She was resettled from Lebanon after fleeing Syria as the conflict there intensified, and knew none of the other refugees she arrived with.
Nisrine, who would like to go to university, has quickly learnt English in classes and by talking to students she’s made friends with in Aberystwyth.
But she says the language barrier was one of her biggest worries when she arrived in Wales.
“I was so afraid, so scared,” she told Channel 4 News. “Because in my mind, I don’t speak English, I don’t know how I can speak English with my caseworker or if I want to go outside to buy anything…”
Nisrine, whose family remain in Syria, is enjoying the peace and quiet of west Wales which, she says, is “like her mood”.
“I love quiet places. Here it’s quiet, nobody makes problems. And I don’t like problems,” she said.
Local Hannah Engelkemp was in the town with her five-year-old son Osian when she came across families of the Syrian refugees handing out flowers in Aberystwyth.
She said she was “overwhelmed” by the gesture.
“Whatever I was worrying about before paled swiftly as I asked them a bit about their lives” Hannah added.
“Ahmad said he’d walked for 17 days, through Greece and to Croatia. I almost said ’Oh, I like long walks too!’ before thankfully catching myself.
“Fleeing for your life doesn’t really rank as a hobby.”
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