Councils who planned the arrival of Syrian refugees say Nottinghamshire should be proud of the welcome the county has given them.
Eighteen families arrived in the area last week after fleeing the war-torn country.
Officials say many of the 81 people have “lost everything” and others have left family members behind.
But local groups are getting together to make life a little easier for them.
Syrian-born Razan Zehrawi, of Gamston, co-founded the charity Hand in Hand for Syria and has been helping the group with translation, schooling arrangements and transport.
The situation is getting worse
She said: “For them it’s like another planet, especially with what they have been through as well. They are not coming from normal situations.
“Some of them have come from living in tents and without water or electricity for quite some time.
“I have some family still in Syria and the situation is really getting worse.”
Rebecca Wilson from the Nottingham Refugee Forum has also been co-ordinating their arrival.
“They’ve had a lot of support from existing Syrians living here in Nottingham.
“It has been helpful for them to see people from their own country who’ve made a life here in Nottingham and who have been able to settle in.”
The UK government has pledged more than £1.12 billion in humanitarian aid to Syria.
Around 5,000 refugees and asylum seekers have been taken in since 2011 and a further 20,000 people will come to the UK over the next five years.
Local councils including Gedling Borough Council have been managing their arrival alongside charity groups.
Michael Payne, deputy leader of the authority, said the county should ‘be proud’ of the welcome the refugees have been given.
He added: “Clearly these people are in an unthinkable situation and we wanted to play our part and in Gedling we are taking three families and others are being houses across Nottinghamshire.”
The Government is currently reviewing how many more families will be coming to Notts.
