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Bury joins refugee resettlement programme

November 28 2005

A group of refugees who have fled war and persecution are being offered protection in Bury as part of a joint Home Office and United Nations international protection programme.

Twenty men, women and children from southern Sudan will arrive in Bury on November 28 and will officially be greeted by the council in a welcome lunch attended by the Mayor of Bury, Stephen Treadgold and Home Office Minister and MP for Leigh Andy Burnham on December 2 at the Town Hall.

Bury has become the second local authority in the north-west to participate in the Gateway Protection programme, which is funded by the Home Office and was launched in the UK in March last year. So far families from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Burma have been welcomed into communities in Sheffield and Bolton. This is the first time two local authorities have worked in partnership to resettle refugees under the Gateway programme.

The refugees have been referred to the Home Office by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), because they are especially vulnerable and have been living in refugee camps in Uganda for many years. They will be granted immediate settlement in the UK before arrival, and will not have to apply for asylum.

They will be assisted by a small team of resettlement workers from Refugee Action, an independent national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. Funded by the Home Office, Refugee Action will provide advice and support for the refugees during their first year in Bury.

Mark Sanders, Chief Executive of Bury Council says, “We are pleased that we are able to provide a safe haven for these refugees whose lives would certainly be in jeopardy if they were to return to Sudan. We look forward to welcoming them as part of our local community”.

Refugee Action’s Sara Buck, manager of the Gateway Protection Programme in Bury and Bolton said: “Refugee Action is delighted that Bury has joined this important scheme. These men, women and children have suffered unimaginable traumas in their home country. We will work closely with Bury Council and other statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure the families integrate into their new community and can start rebuilding their lives.”

-Ends-

Further information: Karen Young, telephone: 0161 253 6123
Or Julia Ravenscroft, Refugee Action: 0161 233 1956

Notes for Editors
A more detailed explanation of the Gateway Protection Programme can be found in the guide, Understanding resettlement to the UK, available with other information on the Programme at:

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home/laws___policy/refugee_integration0/resettlement.html

http://www.unhcr.org.uk/resettlement/index.html.

http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/ourwork/projects/Gateway.aspx

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