Evacuee thankful for family's new life in Wigan after fleeing Afghanistan 12 months ago

Ahmed Manocher’s family was one of dozens of terrified families who had left their homeland as it was rapidly overrun by the Taliban when US and UK troops suddenly pulled out in August last year.

While the vast majority having now been resettled permanently in various places across the UK, Ahmed, his wife Zainab and three daughters, six-year-old Assanat, four-year-old Khanat and three-year-old Wahida remain in the borough.

Ahmed who worked for British and American security before becoming self-employed, left the war-torn capital of Kabul because he feared for his family’s safety.

He said: “I was glad to get out with my family after everything that happened.

"It was really difficult to get out as the embassy wasn’t answering the phones because they relocated to the airport

"I spoke to a friend who was in Kabul at the time and he told me if I wanted to go now was the time to leave.

“I grabbed a few nappies for my little one and a couple of bottles of milk and we went straight to the airport.

"When we arrived, all we could see was a crowd of people.

"The Taliban asked where we were going so I told them the kids were ill and I was taking them to Dubai so they let me through the gate.

"As soon as I showed the British army my passport they came forward to help.

"It was really bad; it was hot and crowded and people were in bad situations.

"People were throwing clothes away because of how difficult it was to cross.

"We spent two nights in the base before getting a flight to Dubai. We spent a night in Dubai before flying to the UK.

"I could relax then because I knew it was safer.

"Before we left there were guns firing and someone threw a grenade.

"The kids were really scared because of the noises.”

Ahmed spent around eight months living in the Holiday Inn Express at Martland Park before he was given a home in the borough.

He is currently studying at a college in Manchester to become a painter/decorator.

Ahmed added: "Organisations like the council, NHS and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) came to help us.

"As soon as the community heard we were here they came to help too.

"With their help we managed to get a place to live.

“We’re all really happy now.

"I did a security course but many of my friends said I was multi-talented so I changed to do decorating and painting.

"Now I don’t have to worry if my wife and kids are safe. That is the most important thing.”

Wigan Council, along with health and public sector partners, worked with the Home Office to support the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, which launched was launched in April last year to support refugees.

Joanne Edwards, Service Delivery Footprint manager at Wigan Council, said: “We were given little notice that the hotel would be taken over as a bridging hotel for people.

"Straight away, I oversaw the wrap around support for all the families, it was quite humbling for all the professionals that were involved.

"We had a doctor on-site, health visitors as well as DWP and education colleagues who were very good at getting the children into school.

“It wasn’t just providing the basics which our community voluntary sectors came together to provide basic essentials, it was also about giving them emotional support.

"They had all been through a really traumatic experience.

"That lasted around seven to eight months and the majority of the families have been rehoused across the country.

"We rehoused two families in Wigan and now we’ll provide 12 months wrap-around support to make sure they are settled in the community, the children are receiving an education and that they are all registered with a local GP.

"If there is anything they need they can contact us.

"Ahmed is quite independent because he has made the best of everything.

"His priority was the safety of his family and he will make good of anything now moving forward.

"We provided the basics for him but he’s really got stuck in. Within a week of moving into the house, he enrolled the girls in a community football team.

"It’s down to the personality of Ahmed as well that made it a success.

"We were overwhelmed with support, everybody wanted to help.

"We had people who lived near the hotel bring toys and bikes for the children and I’ve never seen so many clothes, the community room was full of them!

"People were so generous but that’s the whole of Wigan.”

Coun Susan Gambles, portfolio holder for housing and welfare, said: “We all watched in horror as we saw the evacuation of Afghanistan unfold on the news twelve months ago.

"This council and partners across Greater Manchester supported the decision of the UK government to accelerate the relocation of individuals and families who have assisted our British Armed Forces in Afghanistan for many years.

“We are extremely proud of how warmly our teams welcomed and supported the families that had fled their country at a moment’s notice.

"We also saw the compassion from the people of this borough that donated everything from clothes and toiletries to toys, prams and cots.

"Dozens of families have been looked after in Wigan borough as part of the national support effort and we have been privileged to be able to do this small thank you for the huge sacrifice they have made for our country.

“We will continue to offer support to those who came to live in our borough and we are delighted to see some of the families we built a strong friendship with, have chosen to live and start their new lives in the UK.”