SUPPORTERS of the Sukulas Must Stay campaign held a rally in Bolton to raise support for the family who have been threatened with deportation.

Around 20 people gathered in the town hall square holding a huge banner which read "Sukula Family Must Stay No Deportations".

Representatives of the Bolton branches of the NUT and UNISON as well as Bolton Against Racism also carried placards to promote the cause.

Campaigners collected 50 names for a new petition calling for the family to be allowed to stay.

The Sukula family mother Ngiedi Lusukumu, father Kiala Sukula and their children Flores, aged 19, Daniel, aged 16, Destin, aged seven, Sarah, aged five, Exhauce, aged three, and Benedicte, aged one fled to the UK from the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the family were targeted by Congolese government militia.

They have been living in Great Lever for more than a year but are at risk of being deported by the Government after their asylum claim was rejected by the Home Office.

Campaign chairman Jason Travis said the family were about to present a new claim to the Home Office in support of their bid.

He said: "This fresh claim is going in very soon with new evidence of the deteriorating situation in The Congo, the educational needs of the Sukula children and for the first time, Flores and Daniel, the eldest children, will give their evidence of what happened to them in The Congo."

Flores Sukula said: "We're here in the town square today because we've been fighting for a year to stay and to show people that we are still fighting."