Two years ago, on Thursday, November 29th, 2016, Esam Hijazi arrived in his new home near Ross-on-Wye with his family. They travelled and arrived into Herefordshire with the help of Refugee Action, having left Syria.

Esam and his family had to flee their home and abandon their family-owned blacksmiths business in Hama after fighting intensified in Syria. They fled to Lebanon, where they lived for almost four years. Esam said: “Before the war broke out in Syria, I owned a blacksmiths. My work was good, but then in 2011 the problems began. The conflict began with demonstrations and quickly turned into an armed conflict. We were displaced many times within Syria during the war – we had to move from one city to another.

“We just couldn’t do it anymore. I had to abandon my business when we were in the middle of building a house for ourselves – we had to leave that behind as well. We were left with nothing.”

Volunteers working with Refugee Action helped the family settle into their new home by acting as translators where necessary, and helped with things like bank accounts and paperwork.

With the help of an Arabic translator who works for Refugee Action, Esam told the Ross Gazette: “I have had such amazing support from everybody here, and everyone is very welcome.”

Esam speaks English and is working to improve it, continuing to go to classes twice a week. He hopes this will better improve the relationships he has built up with the local people. Esam and his wife lead a busy life with three children; a baby, a seven-year-old and a six-year-old. He told the Ross Gazette how much his children love school, and that they are very happy living here. He said: “They love their school, their teachers and their friends. Their English is very good - I can hear their accents developing more and more each day.”

Esam has been volunteering as a blacksmith since he moved to the county. He is excited to have recently enrolled on a blacksmithing course, which he hopes will mean he can work full-time again as a blacksmith here.

Esam was very proud to earn his driving licence last year, despite having limited English at the time. The family are very happy living in Herefordshire, where they have made lots of close friends. Esam said: “I want to say a big thank you to everyone in the county for welcoming us, and thank you to Refugee Action for making this possible. We love our Herefordshire home.”See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.