CARDIGAN is preparing to welcome a third family of Syrian refugees, following a long wait due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Croeso Teifi - a local organisation involved with the Government Community Sponsorship Scheme - had their application accepted by the Welsh government and Ceredigion County Council last year.

It follows a generous personal donation which provided the initial funds, along with the support and backing of local volunteers.

"We are delighted that we are about to welcome our third family into Cardigan," revealed Vicky Moller of Croeso Teifi on social media.

"Our first two families are so embedded in the community and helpful to the local economy, with their children shining in school."

Croeso Teifi is a community-led organisation, which was established in 2016 to help bring Syrian families to safety in Wales.

The community sponsorship scheme enables local groups to band together and support a refugee family move into their area.

The organisers will meet them at the airport and provide a home and an integration plan, paid for and run by the community.

Members of the family can work from the moment they arrive, and have the same benefits and support as a British family, for five years.

"Many hundreds contributed money, the Christian churches were amazing, but everybody helped," Ms Moller said about the support shown for the previous two families.

"The leaders in Ceredigion Council were ever so supportive and determined to play their part.

"They did it so well they were selected from the whole of the UK to teach their counterparts in other European countries how to work with community sponsorship groups.

"The only question that they had no answer for was: 'How do you find community groups to sponsor?'

"They never had to find them, the groups banged on their door.

"The teams that settled each family worked together to cover all the different roles and tasks, people who had never worked together before became professionals overnight.

"But the key thing is that our guest families inspired and delighted us and their neighbours, so all the work was a pleasure."