A Syrian refugee who came to England in 2019 and is now a family support worker at Warwickshire County Council has shared his experiences of leaving home and settling in a new country.

Hasan Mahmoud came to south Warwickshire in 2019, settling in Stratford-on-Avon.

His family are Kurdish and originally grew up in Aleppo, a city in Syria, where he studied for a university degree in Drama and English. 

Hasan was able to stay in Aleppo to complete his degree but when the city was overtaken in 2012, entire neighbourhoods were destroyed by shelling. 

His family were stuck in their home but after three days escaped to their hometown in the north of the country. 

They were able to stay there for a year but eventually ISIS reached this area too. 

Hasan said: "There was a lot of risk to our lives when ISIS came to our area, so once again we had to leave. This time, we travelled to Kurdistan in northern Iraq where we were thankfully able to register with the United Nations (UN).

"After nearly five years of living in Iraq, we were nominated by the UN to resettle in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. 

"You don't get to choose where to resettle as it depends on things like the availability of accommodation, but I was really excited as I had studied Shakespeare plays, so I thought – yes this is the best place for me!"

Hasan, along with his parents and three siblings, arrived in Warwickshire in March 2019. 

Hasan said: "In my own country I was scared of the safety of my family, but when I came to Warwickshire, I was just so happy. 

"It was a different feeling, coming to a new country that you know respects people as human beings, and you have human rights. It's an amazing feeling arriving somewhere knowing that you're finally going to be safe and happy."

After three months in the county, Hasan began working for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) where earlier this year he was told about an opportunity to become a family support worker to work with other families resettling in Warwickshire.

Hasan joined the council in June of and is now looking after newly arrived families who are part of the resettlement scheme. 

Hasan said: "I support the families with everything, from signing them up to job centres and registering with a GP, through to setting up a bank account and arranging tenancy agreements for accommodation.

Hasan mainly works with Afghani, Syrian and some Sudanese families coming to Warwickshire. 

He is fluent in four languages – English, Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish – so he is able to help translate complex information to these families when they arrive in the county. 

Hasan added: "I hope that because I know what they are going through, when these families arrive in Warwickshire, I can motivate them as they can see where I have now got to. 

"All you need is some determination and not to give up hope."