A PUBLIC meeting has been arranged following West Devon Borough Council’s decision to participate in the Government’s scheme to assist refugees from Syria.

A group of Bere Peninsula and Tavistock residents have arranged a public discussion after they met to deliberate on community help needed for arriving refugees.

The group’s discussions were helped by contact with similar groups in South Hams, Mid-Devon and Bude, by support from the charity Refugee Support Devon and by meetings with the officers of West Devon Borough Council.

The group hopes to discuss the issue further with other residents in West Devon.

The public meeting, chaired by West Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox, will take place in Tavistock Community College at 6pm on Friday, February 3.

There will be short talks from members of Refugee Support Devon and West Devon Borough Council, together with a discussion session where members of the public are invited to share their thoughts.

Speakers of the meeting will be; Pauline Hastings, a volunteer who has been working in refugee camps in France, Isabel Blake from West Devon Borough Council and Michael Grace from Refugee Support Devon.

Angus Doulton, a spokesperson for the refugee support group, said: ‘It is clear that people coming from the terrible conditions we have all seen almost nightly on our televisions will need to be received and supported with care from our community that continues over quite a length of time.

‘Within this, there will be a need for some quite small tasks such as simply dropping in to visit and rather larger ones such as language teaching.

‘If you, like us, are one of the people who have felt frustrated that there seems so little that we can do to assist refugees, you can contribute to this reception process in either small or big ways – depending on what you feel you can offer. There is a need for considerable voluntary effort from the community.

‘We are calling this public meeting to find out just how much help and support West Devon residents wish to offer to make sure that our reception of refugees is wholehearted, thorough, consistent and in line with what other Devon communities are doing.’

Tavistock town councillor Peter Squire, a member of the refugee support group, said: ‘We are a group of well-meaning residents from the local area who all share the same humanitarian concerns regarding the refugee crisis. We are all committed to do what we can to help.

‘West Devon Borough Council has made some commitment to the practical housing of refugees. The public meeting is an opportunity for residents to voice their hopes and concerns. We also hope the meeting will enable members of the community to gain a better understanding of the issue and offer their help to the needs of refugees.

‘I hope that MP Geoffery Cox, who is chairing the meeting, gives the community a sense of reassurance that there is a governing body which supports this scheme.

‘We hope the discussion will help to appease the anxiety of change for those who may be feeling negative about sharing our community with refugees.

‘There is always the fear that if we share what we have got we somehow lose what we have got — but this is not the case.

‘I urge these people to put themselves in the shoes of these refugees. We need to put ourselves in their positions and think about how we would want to be treated.’

Please see forthcoming events for more information about the public meeting.