Local charity to furnish houses for refugees

WESTBURY’S Imperial Charity has been chosen to supply furniture for a number of houses for refugees due to arrive in the county before Christmas.

Wiltshire Council has confirmed that it will be homing 27 refugees in the coming weeks; eight families and a handful of individuals.

Imperial Charity on Warminster Road has sold furniture to the local authority to furnish some of the houses.

Shop manager Bob Summerfield said, “We  are being sent big shopping lists for furniture that is needed for the houses.

“It’s great that the council has chosen to come to us, and it’s especially a boost for us because the more business we get the more work we can do in the local community.”

Wiltshire Council did not provide specific details of the refugee rehoming programme, but spokesperson Sue Ellison said that preparations were going well and that more arrivals are expected in 2016.

The local authority will be accepting people forced out of their homes by the conflict in Syria, as part of the Government’s commitment to resettle 20,000 people by 2020.

Leader of Wiltshire Council, baroness Jane Scott said, “We are preparing the way to welcome refugees to our county so they can permanently settle and make a safe and secure life for themselves in Wiltshire.

“We will work with our key partners to ensure their wellbeing, so that when they come to the county they have the right support to become self-sufficient, find jobs and make Wiltshire their home.

“There is a huge amount of support being offered by communities locally, and currently the best organisations to contact at this time are the international aid organisations such as the Red Cross, Unicef and Oxfam. We will also be working with the voluntary and community sector in the county to provide support.”