Refugee charity translating 'welcome' messages

Crowds of anti-racism protestors gathered in Newcastle on Saturday

A charity is translating the dozens of supportive messages it has received over the past week to give to asylum seekers living in temporary accommodation.

Andy Durma, the head of West End Refugee Service (WERS) in Newcastle, said the massive wave of support from people in the North East following the recent unrest had been "affirming".

He said after receiving a few messages of support early last week, the team put out a call for more messages which they are now translating to give to their clients.

"We've had over a 100 now," he said.

The messages have come from people across the region, Mr Durma said.

One message said: "Welcome to Newcastle. I hope when things settle down you can enjoy our beautiful city. It is now your beautiful city."

Another said: "Please know you are welcome in the North East. The terrible acts in recent weeks do not reflect the views of the majority who want you to feel safe and at home."

The team at the charity has been translating the messages into languages such as Arabic and Kurdish, which are then passed on to asylum seekers living in hotels in Newcastle while they wait for their applications to be processed.

There are also plans to work with refugee charities in other parts of the North East so the messages can be given to people living there.

"The positivity and solidarity we’re receiving towards our cause have been incredibly uplifting," Mr Durma added.

Prospective well-wishers have until Friday to send in any more messages so they they can be translated, he added.