'We fled a war-torn country but found a family'

A Syrian refugee family that resettled in the West Midlands shares how they found kinship in the friendship of strangers.

Khaled loved his job working at the department of water management in Syria.

His wife, Bushra, spent her days teaching primary school children, while evenings were for maqluba and yabrak, or stuffed vine leaves, shared with family around a table filled with laughter and stories.

Then the war came. Chairs stood empty where friends once sat and homes crumbled to rubble. For Khaled, Bushra, and their daughter Rinaad, life changed in an instant.

"When the war broke out, we had to leave, we didn't see our family," a teary-eyed Bushra said.

In 2023, the family moved to Lichfield through the UK government's Syrian resettlement scheme, after spending nine years in Turkey waiting for their names to appear on the list.

Margaret, 78, and George, 80, a married couple and volunteers at Lichfield Cathedral, welcomed them to England on a rainy day.

"We were sitting up in the cafe in the airport, looking down where people arrive," George recalled.

"We knew their names but not what they looked like and admittedly we had the completely wrong impression of what we were imagining."

The pair held up colourful signs bearing the family's name in Arabic. Moments later, Khaled appeared, hauling the remnants of their life packed into suitcases, while Bushra cradled their then 11-year-old daughter, Rinaad.

"I got a hug from Rinaad [although] she was a little bit tentative, because I was a complete stranger, but she gave me a hug, and that was lovely," Margaret said.

Although they stood as five strangers in an airport it was the beginning of a new friendship.

"I was so happy to see them," Khaled said.

The Syrian vulnerable persons resettlement scheme (VPRS) was launched in 2014 to help those fleeing the fighting. The UK government committed to resettling 20,000 refugees under the programme.

Local authorities and community groups like Lichfield Cathedral played a vital role in settling arrivals, with central government funding services like English language learning, school placements and accommodation.

Amina Khanom, director of refugee charity Reset, said communities that welcomed refugees showed strength, compassion and perseverance.

"We see such strong long-term integration results," she said.

Since moving, the Syrian family has ventured to Birmingham's Soho road to buy halal meat and enjoyed day trips to places like Tamworth Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Bushra says watching her daughter's face light up on Christmas jumper day at school got her excited for the festivities, even though the family did not formally celebrate the occasion.

"I love the Cathedral during Christmas time," she said. "The tree, parties with friends, I like it all and seeing my daughter enjoy too."

Today, Khaled takes pride in tending his garden - a sea of greenery - while Bushra keeps the traditions of their homeland alive through food and fragrant Syrian coffee.

Their daughter has flourished in school and grown in confidence, while both Bushra and Khaled hope to soon find work.

"She's a daughter of a teacher [so] when I speak in Arabic, Rinaad will tell me, 'no mummy speak English'," Bushra joked.

Though Lichfield may draw few comparisons to their beloved Syria, the family have found a sense of home in the city and its people.

"I thank everyone that helped me and my family, George and Margaret are my brother and sister," Bushra said.

"I thank God that I met them," Khaled said. "They are wonderful people; I see my family in them."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.