A PUBLIC meeting exploring the idea of sponsoring a refugee family and encouraging volunteers to get involved is taking place next week.

Speakers from the North Yorkshire Refugee Council (RESET) will provide help, guidance, support and training to people throughout the sponsorship process at the meeting on March 18, from 7pm to 9pm, at Pickering Memorial Hall.

“The families placed under this scheme have come from refugee camps, 80 per cent originating from Syria,” said organiser Alison Lawson. “Places, such as Turkey, have 3.6 million officially registered refugees, and the number is still growing.”

Under the government coordinated scheme, called Community Sponsorship, groups can help resettle a refugee family in their neighbourhood and support the rebuilding of their lives.

Launched in 2016, an estimated 59 refugee families have been placed into safe accommodation, including the North Yorkshire town of Settle.

The process involves a refugee family applying for resettlement. Upon approval, the request is passed onto the Home Office, who links a family to a hosting community, such as Pickering.

Alongside advice from other community groups, such as Settle Steering Group, people can access an open forum to ask questions, share advice and experiences.

“By offering a meeting to the Pickering community, we hope there is sufficient interest in creating a steering group to work through the resettling process, which is clearly a serious undertaking,” said Alison.

“There are very many ways for the community to get involved from fundraising, to conversations and sharing time together.

“Community sponsorship not only transforms the lives of refugee families, but brings a positive experience for communities because people of all ages work towards a common goal of providing a warm home, safety and security.”

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting.