BETWEEN 10 and 12 Syrian refugees are expected to arrive in Aberystwyth before Christmas, it has been announced.

The refugees, who have been prioritised by United Nations staff, will become the first to be resettled in Wales under government plans to offer assistance to people fleeing war-torn Syria.

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They will be housed in private properties in Aberystwyth which have been made available by landlords, with tenancies managed by the Ceredigion Care Societ­y.

Ellen ap Gwynn, chair of the county’s task and finish group considering the county’s respo­nse to the refugee crisis, said the group had been working with Home Office officials to help the refugees as they adjust to their new home.

She said: “These people are ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds, who have witnessed events that no-one should have to experience.

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“Members of the task and finish group are committed to working together for the benefit of these people.

“We continue to be encouraged by the enthusiastic humanitarian response shown by people across Ceredigion.”

Aberystwyth and Lampeter have been selected as the most appropriate locations for the refugees because of the universities in both towns and because there is already an established Middle Eastern population.