Refugees reflect on settling in Devon

Khadeja and her family were the first Syrians to arrive in North Devon

Each year, Refugee Week highlights the lives of refugees worldwide. It also celebrates their achievements and actions in new countries away from their homes. BBC Radio Devon has spoken to refugees from Ukraine and Syria who have settled in the county.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme has enabled hundreds of Ukrainians to rebuild their lives in Devon.

For Olga, it is more than a new home for a while.

"Oh, North Devon - this is paradise," she said.

Her friend Anna, who is also from Ukraine, described as "beautiful" the generosity of people from the UK.

"You know it's amazing what British people do for Ukrainian people.

"If I have a problem, I know people will help me," she said.

Anna praised the generosity of the British people

The theme of this year's Refugee Week is compassion.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the week, which is co-ordinated by a partnership of charities including the UNHCR - the United Nations refugee agency.

Khadeja and her family were the first Syrians to arrive in north Devon as part of a community support programme.

"I arrived in 2017 - November - and it was very cold," she said.

As well as the weather, she remembered the complexity of her feelings on arrival.

"You are so happy that you are in the place where you wish to arrive but at the same time you are so sad that you've left your country, your culture and family.

"So it's really hard to say what you are feeling exactly. Lots of things are in your head and your heart."

Olga said north Devon was a paradise

Khadeja now works for the Pickwell Foundation which encourages communities in Devon to sponsor refugees and support them locally.

"Just to see the happy faces of the families when they arrive at the airport - this moment makes me so happy," she said.

"They need to be looked after, cared for - and to be safe.

"The main purpose is just looking to be safe and try to build a new future and a nice life for our children. We want them to grow up in safety."

In its Global Trends report, the UNHCR suggests that at the end of 2022, as many as 108 million people worldwide had been displaced by war, persecution, violence and human rights abuses.

About 35 million are refugees, having crossed international borders to find safety with the greatest cause being the war in Ukraine with 5.7 million Ukrainians recognised as refugees in new countries.

Tmarah, a refugee from Syria, said: "Our life is so different since we arrived in the UK - especially coming to a community we didn't know anything about.

"The main thing is children settling into school, learning English and having good friends.

"We feel safety and happiness. Everything around us is so positive."

Iryna has been supported by inclusion charity Sunrise Diversity

Anna, who had to leave her husband when she and her child fled Ukraine, said: "I just want you to understand how broken I was when all this happened.

"I had to leave everything. All my life was absolutely broken to pieces.

"I didn't know where I was going, I didn't know who I was going to meet, I didn't know what country - I had no idea.

"But as I arrived here and met all these beautiful people always helping me, always supporting me, I knew this was compassion.

"People are there for me - no matter what."

Tmarah said she now had a new life, a new home and support learning English

Anna has been supported by Sunrise Diversity, an inclusion charity, based in north Devon.

It also welcomed Iryna, who arrived from Ukraine with her two-year-old daughter and 87-year-old grandfather.

She remembers being in a supermarket where an older man heard her speaking to her daughter, recognised the language and bought the child a teddy bear.

She said: "We are refugees and we saw another people who wanted to help and wanted to understand, and even wanted to say a few words of support.

"So thank you very much for everything that you've done."

Hear from Iryna, Khadeja, Anna, Tmarah and Olga on BBC Sounds