“Wrexham people are very true and real with a big heart and open arms” – That was the message that came from Wrexham’s refugee community following the recent successful Refugee Week.
The events were organised by Refugee Diversity Wrexham Forum, supported by One Wrexham, the Welsh Refugee Council and Wrexham Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Group .
For over 100 years refugees have sought and found a safe haven in Wales and Wrexham has been no exception with people seeking refuge as a result of persecution during the First World War, the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. Most of today’s refugees and asylum seekers come from dangerous countries such as Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia DR Congo, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan escaping such abuses as religious, race, nationality and social persecution.
To mark the contribution that refugees have made in Wrexham a series of cultural, art and educational events were arranged to celebrate their contribution to life in Wrexham and promote a better understanding between communities.
A series of art workshops took place at Oriel Wrecsam attended by up to 15 people at any one time. They were asked to produce a piece of work that expressed their identity called “This is Me”. One refugee who took part said he had found it very interesting and hadn’t expected to “realise something” at the end of it.
As part of the celebrations residents were asked to try their hand at sitting the Home Office Citizenship Test which proved a very popular event. Although intended for fun, it soon became something of a competition particularly amongst Wrexham Council staff who decided to try the …..the majority of whom failed! One who passed was Cllr Aled Roberts, Leader of the Council but he was far from confident at the beginning. He had to score a minimum of 20 out of 26 questions and with a score of 21, felt he just scraped through:
Aled said after the test, “I had been told beforehand that the standard was high and some of the questions really obscure so I really wasn’t very confident of a high score when I took the test. It was good to pass though and I admire the commitment to study made by refugees when they undertake to take this test.”
The test is available online at www.ukcitizenshiptest.co.uk so why not give it a go yourself?
One of the highlights of the week was a 5 a side football tournament played at Bellevue Park in Wrexham town centre. Teams who took part who came from the Refugee Diversity Forum, North Wales Police, Wrexham Council and a scratch team made up of people who just turned up for the event. The eventual winners were the Refugee Diversity Forum who have been receiving training from Brian Manford from Wrexham Football Club and who presented the winning trophy.
The final event was a moving account by refugees who described their journey to Wrexham and their hopes for Wrexham by standing on their country of origin on a large map and describing first in their own language and then in English how they came to be in Wrexham. Refugee Week is a UK wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution that refugees give to the UK. It also encourages a better understanding within communities.
Gillian Lewis of the Welsh Refugee Council said of the week’s events: “This has been Wrexham’s most successful Refugee Week and we are already planning events for next year. Refugees in Wrexham have been welcomed by the communities in which they live who recognise that they have had to make extremely difficult journeys to gain refuge in Wrexham.”
The Welsh Refugee Council has been in existence since 1990 when it opened its first office in Cardiff. In 2001 the Home Office began to disperse asylum seekers to Wales and the Council quickly expanded and now has offices in Swansea, Newport and Wrexham. The Wrexham office operates with 6 members of staff who are helped by 11 volunteers. Since the beginning of this year they have been involved with 51 new clients who approach them either by simply walking into the office or being referred by the Home Office.
Plans are already underway for next year’s celebrations and if you would like further information about the Welsh Refugee Council you can visit their website www.welshrefugeecouncil.org.
