Madam,

Ceredigion Council and its leader, Ellen ap Gwynn, is to be applauded in taking swift steps to resettle Syrian refugees in Aberystwyth, the first of whom will arrive before Christmas. Working with the Home Office as a ‘Trailblazer Authority’ demonstrates a timely and effective response to this crisis. That’s why last week’s Cambrian News front page story (‘Calls to vet Syrian refugees after Paris atrocity’) was so unhelpful. The handful of refugees arriving in Aberystwyth will do so as a direct result of the council taking part in the UK Government’s scheme to resettle refugees. This means those arriving here will follow UK Government protocols and be brought directly from camps in the region, where they are granted refugee status following a rigorous and thorough UN process.

Let us not forget that the Syrian refugees arriving in the UK, including those resettling in Ceredigion, will have fled unimaginable violence and terror in their homeland. For them it is a deeply worrying and traumatic time. Many families are split up, there is uncertainty over what the future holds and they are moving to a new country with cultures and practices that are unusual to them.The UK is providing over and above in terms of aid money to the region, but we must also be welcoming to refugees and host our fair share. Oxfam has calculated Wales should welcome 724 refugees from Syria by the end of 2016. With winter approaching, it is vital we act quickly to resettle refugees, many of whom simply won’t survive a cold winter in the refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan. Ceredigion Council is leading the way and is an example not only to other Welsh local authorities but across the UK as a whole.

Yours etc,Carys Thomas,Head of Oxfam Cymru.