THE refugee support group in Launceston has given updates on its activities and the family it has re-homed.

Both parents have part-time jobs; a start on the ladder. The Citzen’s Advice Bureau and a JobCentre coach are involved in guiding the family through various issues with Universal Credit, insurance etcetera.

The landlords do not want anything other than a rolling one month contract, as with all of their properties, with the option of two months’ notice. Some small repairs are underway, and a request to fit an extractor fan in the kitchen has been made.

The son is happy at Launceston College; he has made new friends and he walks to school.

The family now have a new laptop which helps a great deal with homework and the younger daughter loves going to nursery and to playgroup.

Everyone is making some progress; the elder daughter has ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) lessons for two hours each Saturday for the rest of the term. This has been contracted by Cornwall Council, and will be reviewed.

The costs of a private treatment is currently being investigated, and the group will consider meeting the costs; it seems ‘private’ is the only viable way forward as “NHS dentistry in Cornwall is in crisis with huge waiting lists”. The group will explore and pay for initial consultations and collect estimates for further work.

The eldest daughter’s fiancé may be visiting in December. All paperwork regarding her potential move abroad is being managed by The Red Cross.

The council support for refugee families is for five years. The refugee response is being moved to a new directorate, and it seems the group’s contact and support lead will no longer be involved. A coordinator is employed to keep in touch with the family by phone and email. The group said: “It is not easy to be involved with the Cornwall Refugee Network, but we will try to attend meetings which are relevant.

“A video interview about our work will be used on the Cornwall Council website to encourage others to investigate community partnerships with the council.”

The support group will still receive regular donations and they have said that their bank balance is “healthy” although they do have a number of regular payments out.

OHOB are no longer taking donations outside the UK. One and All Aid, based in Truro, would seem to be the best contact for clothes and other items to be collected and distributed.

The Firebrand Feast event being held on Saturday, November 20, has proved very popular and tickets have now sold out. All of the funds raised will go to the Care 4 Calais charity.

The next open meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 7, at 7pm on Zoom.

If anyone would like to know more, email [email protected]