“By the time we got home, messages of support were waiting in our inboxes.”

Thanks for talking to us Mike.  First of all, what led you to Community Sponsorship? 

We’ve all seen the way war and extreme regimes devastate the lives of individuals and families, because the news brings this trauma into our front rooms. But then we just switch off the TV and go to our safe, warm beds. It’s easy to feel helpless about it. I spotted the Reset website and Community Sponsorship scheme and then spent about a year umming and ahhing about it with my wife Jill, my friend Carl and two other close friends.  Finally we thought, ‘If we can help one family, why not?’

Tell us a bit about the Kirkby community. 

Kirkby is a very hands-on community. There’s a lot of goodwill here – people help each other. I spent 29 years teaching in the small secondary school here and I’m still involved through the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Carl is a retired GP who worked in Kirkby for many years. So we know the community very well – we know the families, the culture, how things work.  Most importantly, we know how the locals respond when families arrive here from different parts of the country. It’s a very warm, welcoming community.

You felt it was crucial to get the whole community’s feelings about the project from the get-go. How did you do it? 

Carl and I formed a double act. We asked for just 12 minutes of meeting time. I explained Community Sponsorship using extracts of videos from Reset, and then Carl described the insecurity of life in refugee camps. He has worked in war zones around the world with Médecins Sans Frontieres and he speaks very powerfully about what he has seen. We made it clear that at that stage, we weren’t asking for money or volunteer time. We were just looking for views, fielding questions and generally gauging community support. If community groups told us they didn’t think the resettlement project would work in Kirkby Stephen, that would be fine – we wouldn’t go ahead it.

And how did community groups respond? 

Carl and I would leave after the presentations so that the groups could discuss the idea in private. Often, by the time we got home, messages of support were waiting in our inboxes. I have 20 very powerful emails and letters from parish councils, the county council, the district council, community support groups, the WI, the Rotary club, walking groups, conservation groups, junior schools and our secondary school. They’re basically saying, ‘You must do this. This project will benefit a family in need and it will benefit the community as well. We will support you all the way.’ We’re getting more messages like this coming through every week.

That’s so encouraging! Has anyone voiced concerns about inviting a refugee family to such a rural area? 

There have been a few people concerned about how the family will find work. Part of my role at the school involved vocational education and I’ve got connections in hospitality, tourism, a local mail order supply companies, the services on the M6. There are lots of local businesses in need of staff. I can arrange work experience for someone and if doesn’t work, that’s fine, but if it does, a job may appear. The reality is that we have a strong work ethic in Kirkby and low unemployment.