From Refugee to Restaurateur - "Samir's" opens in Manchester

Struggling to survive in Homs - a Syrian city devastated by the bloody civil war and fighting between regime forces and the Free Syrian Army - Samir and his family were the first refugees to be welcomed into the UK under the Community Sponsorship Scheme. A Catholic parish in Manchester - Flixton - sponsored the family and helped them start a new life in the north west. Now, two years later, Samir has realised his dream of opening a restaurant in Manchester serving the local community a slice of Middle Eastern cuisine and hospitality. "I love making food and when I serve people, I serve them with love - as I do my own family. All the love and passion goes into the cooking. This is my expression of my culture. We're honest with our customers and treat them with love. "The Community Sponsorship Scheme is amazing - all the people here have welcomed us with love. We feel part of a big family. "The community has given us hope when there was no hope, and given us love when we couldn't support our family. Everyone has been really nice and it's the most incredible experience here in the UK."