Sandwich is encouraging residents to donate to help support Syrian refugee families coming to the Dover district.

The town council plans to set up a fundraising account and is asking residents and businesses to contribute.

All donations will be used to pay for necessary items which are not covered by the basic government grant, and the aim is to help refugee families rebuild their lives.

Mayor of Sandwich, Cllr Paul Graeme, said: “Sandwich has a tradition of welcoming refugees which goes back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when Flemish and French Protestants fleeing violence and persecution on the continent settled successfully in the town. “More recently, townspeople welcomed the four thousand Jewish refugees from Hitler’s Germany who settled in the old Kitchener Camp at Richborough in the late 1930s – many of whom went on to serve with allied forces in the Second World War.

"Sandwich has a tradition of welcoming refugees - "Paul Graeme, mayor of Sandwich

“I believe that people in Sandwich will be proud to continue their ancestors’ honourable tradition of goodwill, openness and welcome to those who have been forced to leave their homes behind.”

Donations and expenditure to and from the account will be audited to ensure that funds raised are used in the most effective way.

Dover District Council’s cabinet recently approved a scheme to accommodate 12 Syrian refugee families, and work is being undertaken by the district council to identify suitable accommodation and put in place the support services that will be required to help families integrate within local communities.

More details on how to make donations will be available soon.