Leyland's Syrian Bistro: The culinary initiative bringing communities together

Doing their part to reduce the impact such devastation can have on innocent people’s lives, South Ribble Borough Council has helped to resettle dozens of refugees in Preston.

Granted protection under the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme, they can now start to rebuild their lives in the North West.

In an effort to make our newest neighbours feel as welcome as possible and promote community integration, the council also launched an initiative which seeks to break down barriers and give the people of Leyland a taste of Syrian culture right on their doorstep.

So far, the Syrian Bistro has been a roaring success.

Organised in conjunction with The Brothers of Charity Services and held every month at the Roccoco Café, the Syrian Bistro was established as part of the council’s refugee resettlement programme and sees the Syrian families share their historically rich heritage through the universal medium of food to make their assimilation into life in the UK as seamless as possible.

“The Syrian Bistro has been very popular and has enabled the Syrian volunteers to meet and engage with the wider community and share their food and culture with them,” said Darlene Martin, Regional Head of Day Opportunities & Community Engagement at the Brothers of Charity Services. “We’ve received very positive feedback from the customers and Syrian families about their experience, the food, and the welcoming environment.

“The objective of the initiative was to support the volunteers to gain confidence in delivering in a catering and customer service environment,” added Darlene, who has worked with the charity for two years. “This has helped the volunteers to integrate into their new community [and] the Brothers of Charity Services have enjoyed supporting and working with the Syrian volunteers at Roccoco Café.”

Founded in 1807, the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity is part of an international religious congregation the charity with foundations in more than thirty countries around the world, with the Syrian Bistro event seeing around 30 attendees served a three-course Syrian mezze banquet as well as hot and cold beverages prepared by the area’s Syrian families.

A huge hit so far, Councillor Aniela Bylinski Gelder, cabinet member for Community Engagement, Social Justice, and Wealth Building at South Ribble Council, said: “The council is hugely proud of the important work it has done, alongside Brothers of Charity Services, to deliver eight fantastic Syrian bistros for members of the community to enjoy.

“Over the last four years, the council has been involved in resettling Syrian refugees and the bistro was introduced as a way of welcoming them - integrating them - into our community,” added Cllr Bylinski. “We feel this has been massively successful – many Syrian families have already attended to meet and mingle with their new South Ribble neighbours, and what better way to do this than over some lovely homemade baklava, tabbouleh or muhammara?”

“Everyone is welcome to book their place and we look forward to seeing you there and sharing some delicious Middle-Eastern cuisine.”

Upcoming dates for the event are March 28th, April 25th, May 23rd, and June 27th. Tickets are £16 each and are available by contacting Annabelle Draper, Team Leader of the Food Based Enterprises at Brothers Charity, on 07557 568 724 or via email at [email protected]. Any special dietary requirements must be made known at the time of booking and alternate choice agreed upon.