City guides
Afghan Refugees who worked for the UK can stay permanently
In a recent announcement from the Home Office, Afghan refugees who worked for the British military and the UK government will be able to make the UK their permanent home.
The previous offer to those eligible was a five-year residency, but that has since been extended.
Since 13 August, the UK evacuated upwards of 8,000 people who were all eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
However, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab couldn’t give a “definitive” figure for the number of Afghans that, despite being eligible to seek refuge in the UK, still remained in Afghanistan.
Despite efforts to evacuate as many Afghans as possible from the Taliban’s cruel regime back in Afghanistan, the Labour party insisted that more needed to be done for those left behind, as they were still at high risk.
After the Taliban took back control of the country two decades after they were exiled by the US, over 5.7 million people have been forced to evacuate their homes.
An Afghan man, who was authorised to fly to the UK but was unable to do so because of the commotion, has shared his experience with us.
“I’m currently in hell right now.
“In the past two weeks I’ve moved to 15 safe houses with my family because the Taliban are trying to find me.
“It’s not just me, it’s hundreds of people who’ve worked for the government, the media, the NGOs, human rights defenders – everyone is currently hiding in different places waiting to see when their turn will come.”
For those that have been able to flee the country, the Home Office has announced a plan named Operation Warm Welcome, and are ensuring that Afghans will receive the necessary help to start rebuilding their lives in the UK.
A refugee, whose name is not being used for confidentiality reasons, arrived in Heathrow from Kabul with his wife and six children in July, and spoke up about the challenges he has faced so far.
“We have been living in hostels for quite a while now in larger groups and it’s becoming tougher and tougher, so it’s time for us to move to a proper house… That is the overarching concern we are having, because we can’t have a bank account.” He said.
Boris Johnson has said that the UK owes a massive debt to those in Afghanistan who had worked with the armed forces, and he is “determined that we give them and their families the support they need to rebuild their lives here in the UK.”
“I know this will be an incredibly daunting time, but I hope they will take heart from the wave of support and generosity already expressed by the British public.”
Until the Industrial Revolution led to the exploitation of its enormous coalfield in the 19th century, the mediaeval county of Durham was relatively unimportant economically. As a result, it became one of the primary hubs of industrial expansion in Britain. The county was the location of the first passenger railway in history, which ran between Stockton and Darlington and was put into service in 1825. Darlington developed become a hub for locomotive manufacturing and railroad engineering. Gateshead, Hartlepool, Jarrow, South Shields, and Sunderland are some of the other Durham cities that have grown to be hubs for heavy industry, particularly shipbuilding and the manufacturing of iron and steel.
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Tickets are to go on sale this morning for the hugely popular Santa on the Roof events which are a highlight of the festive season at Fenwick in Newcastle.
The city centre store announced the return of the children’s treat as part of its Christmas programme which, besides the grand unveiling of its annual window display, will include the popular Santa’s Cinema, breakfast and supper clubs with the big man and – new for this year – an afternoon tea event.
Santa on the Roof is an immersive experience which sees elves accompany ticket-holders on a Santa’s Express Elevator ride to the store’s rooftop to meet singing reindeer before they take an ‘elf-mobile’ to meet Santa in his cabin. It will be back this year from November 7 up until Christmas Eve, December 24 and this will go on sale first.
Tickets, costing £17.50, will be available from Thursday, September 29. And families will need to be quick off the mark as they are always quickly snapped up.
Sales of Fenwick’s other seasonal experiences, running November and December, will follow in October. These will include tickets for Santa’s Breakfast Club, Santa’s Supper Club, Santa’s Cinema and the new event, Afternoon Tea with Santa.
This year, Fenwick’s says that all restaurant experiences do not include a visit to Santa on the Roof as part of the experience so this must be purchased separately. And, due to the acticipated high demand, Fenwick ticket provider Ticketsource will be providing a virtual queue to help manage bookings. The advice for keen customers – from the moment they join the queue – is to avoid loading multiple tabs or refreshing their browser.
The Santa on the Roof experience will also offer youngsters a chance to enjoy craft activities with the elves, including decorating a bespoke ceramic plate to take home, and there will a stop-off too at Café Claus for winter-warming drinks and sweet treats along with an opportunity to take an ‘Elfie’ inside Santa’s sleigh, says the store.
Santa’s Cinema, screening festive family films, will be located on the fifth floor of the department store from Thursday, November 10 and will cost £17.50. Adults will be able to choose between a complimentary mulled wine or spiced apple juice and young ones can enjoy hot chocolate or juice plus plenty popcorn.
There also will be a Roof Thirty-Nine Pre-Cinema Experience available for £35 where, before the film screening, guests will be able to take in the view from Fenwick’s roof-top restaurant alongside a cocktail, nibbles and a main course.
This year the festive breakfast and supper club events will take place inside Fenwick’s new Arthur’s Restaurant on the first floor. Santa’s Breakfast Club will run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings from Friday, November 9 until Friday, December 23, offering waffles, eggs and sausages. Young guests will receive elf hats and colouring books before meeting the mischievous elves and Santa for a picture and Christmas gift. Tickets will be £20.
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