People who've sought safety in Lancashire share their stories for Refugee Week 2023
The lives of people from around the world who have resettled in Lancashire will be explored in a series of events this week to commemorate Refugee Week 2023.
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
In Lancashire we are proud to participate in Refugee Week, which runs this year from 19th to 25th June.
The theme of Refugee Week 2023, ‘Compassion’, is an invitation to listen and learn, to understand the experiences of refugees, and to create a culture of compassionate welcome.
Ola Kre arrived in Lancashire in 2019, having previously lived in Jordan after fleeing from the war in her home country of Syria in 2012.
Starting a new life in the UK was hard, but Ola and her family were touched by the welcome they received.
"Our neighbours welcomed us, and our next-door neighbour gifted us a bouquet," Ola said.
"That was heart touching."
Ola grew up in Damascus, the capital of Syria, with her mum, dad and three siblings. She had many friends and dreamed of a bright future where they would all grow into adulthood together.
A confident and brave student, Ola was fearless and thought nothing could scare her. That all changed on 10 May 2012 when two car bombs hit Damascus.
"It was final exam day at the school when the two big explosions that rocked the capital Damascus," Ola, who was 12 at the time, recalled. "It was far away from my school, but I felt it outside.
"I cried too much that day as I thought I would die while I was away from my mum, so I started looking around for my younger sister so I could hold her and if we died, we could be together.
"I will never forget this day, I have never been scared in my life until that day, and it did not stop there. Since then we started running away from one house to another as it wasn’t safe where we lived."
Ola Kre
At least 55 people died in the attack and almost 400 others injured, with the Syrian government and the opposition blaming each other for the attack.
Subsequently, Ola and her family fled to Jordan with the intention of returning once things settled. The conflict is ongoing to this day and they have yet to return to their home country.
They were, however, able to start a new life in Lancashire in 2019 after being chosen to be resettled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Ola and her family were aided by Lancashire County Council's refugee integration team and in 2022, Ola joined the refugee integration team as a business support officer. She has made it her mission to help others like they helped her family.
Ola said: "My purpose is to work hard, assist and provide valuable support for all the resettlers.
"We aim to assist users to understand the UK system, work towards their goals and ambition, engaging in the community and in meaningful conversations.
"We work closely with different departments and stakeholders to ensure that we have the best quality of integration for our resettles here in Lancashire."
The refugee integration team assist people from various countries and backgrounds. In recent times, we have welcomed many families and individuals fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The devastating impact of the war in Ukraine will be explored in the Wonder Wounded Land: Photographic Exhibition. This exhibition will feature the works of Ukrainian photographers, showcasing the beauty of Ukraine’s urban and natural landscape before the war, alongside images of the devastation caused by the ongoing conflict.
The exhibition takes place at The Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster University on Wednesday 28th June, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Nelson Library will also be running a free exhibition throughout Refugee Week, showcasing the lived experiences of the refugee community living in Pendle. The Threads of Migration Exhibition will run from the 19th to 25th June.
The exhibitions are part of a series of events that are running in Lancashire throughout Refugee Week.
To find out more about what is happening in Lancashire as part of Refugee Week 2023, click here.