The refugee support group ‘Bude Welcomes Refugees’ has applied to the Home Office to become one of the first groups to privately sponsor a family from Syria.

The scheme, which was announced by the government last month, is similar to a sponsorship scheme in Canada, which has been working success­fully for many years.

Details can be found on the government’s website under Full Community Sponsorship.

On Friday, Sep­tember 16, the International Organ­isation for Migration (IOM) is coming to give a presentation about how refugee families are selected, how they are prepared for their new life and how sponsors can ensure their arrival and integration goes as smoothly as possible.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We warmly welcome everyone to the meeting at St Olaf’s church hall, Poughill, Bude EX23 9EP at 10am on Friday, September 16. The IOM are well placed to answer any questions people may have in relation to this scheme. It will also be a good opportunity for anyone to find out how they can help.”