Sister and brother Falak, 20, and Adnan, 15, have enjoyed a fresh start in the small Pembrokeshire town of Narberth (population 2,400) with another five members of the Batak family thanks to the efforts of a determined band of residents.
There have been ups and downs since they arrived in the summer of 2017 but Falak and Adnan, who missed years of education, are in college and school and dreaming of careers. Falak wants to go to university and become an interior designer, while Adnan likes the idea of being a chef. Their English is improving daily and they have made friends.
“Life is good,” said Falak. “The people of Narberth have been very nice and kind. It feels safe for us here.” Adnan, a football fan, arrived in the UK as a supporter of Barcelona but, like many of his classmates, he now follows Liverpool too and enjoys a kickabout on the pitch in Narberth.
“School is great,” he said. “The teachers are good and I have lots of friends.” Both also love looking after the eighth and newest member of the Batak family – a baby girl born to their sister, Lamis, and brother-in-law, Ziead. The family see the new arrival, who arrived on St David’s Day, as Syrian and British.
The Bataks were among the first to arrive in the UK under a community sponsorship scheme designed to help grassroots groups offer a fresh start to refugees in the greatest need, including survivors of violence and torture, and people requiring urgent medical treatment.
There are no mosques in this corner of Pembrokeshire and few Muslim people. Accessing halal food can be tricky and before their arrival, there were worries that the family could feel isolated and might not like the food, culture and weather.
They touched down at Birmingham airport in July 2017 with all their worldly possessions fitting on to four trolleys. They had no idea what Narberth – almost two hours’ drive west of Cardiff – would be like.
But they have settled well, thanks to the local organising group Croeso Arberth, which led their resettlement and continues to support the family.
The father and mother, Ahmad and Safaa, are in the process of setting up a business, Batak Syrian Food. When they opened a stall at the producers’ market at the Queen’s Hall in Narberth, they sold out by noon. Safaa loves Welsh church architecture and, when the Guardian visited, was looking forward to going to a nativity play in the neighbouring village of Bethesda.
Ahmad has given up smoking – he vapes occasionally – and keeps doves in the back garden of the family home. His son-in-law, Ziead, is a wood carver who is beginning to sell his work. Ahmad’s younger brother, Huseen, has found paid work in a cafe.
But the priority for Ahmad and Safaa when the family arrived was to make sure Falak and Adnan got a good education, and that is happening.
Three days a week Falak takes the bus from Narberth to Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, where she is studying art and design. She is also planning to take GCSEs in English and maths. Ideally, she would be to go to university in Cardiff. “I don’t want to leave Wales,” she said. But she cannot imagine leaving the town without her family. “Everyone would have to come,” she said.
Adnan has been studying Romeo and Juliet. His English is coming on although he admits his Welsh is not so strong. He loves computing, and plans to set up a YouTube channel telling jokes in Arabic.
Both have been amazed at the weather that has battered Wales. They had never been in snow or floods before. “I like the weather, even the cold,” said Adnan. However, he and his uncle Huseen are pondering a trip to Tenerife for some sun this year.
The UK government launched community sponsorship in July 2016. It sits alongside the Syrian vulnerable persons resettlement scheme, under which the UK has welcomed 8,535 Syrian refugees so far, with a pledge to resettle 20,000 by 2020.
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