A MEET and greet day is to be held to help integrate asylum seekers into the Darwen community.

Councillor Karimeh Foster of Whitehall ward and Darwen Rotary Club president, Tony Melia, will be holding a day for asylum seekers within the next month to encourage their participation in the community.

Out of 666 political refugees in the borough, it is estimated that between 100 and 150 live in Darwen.

Coun Foster said: "There are a lot of asylum seekers who don't know anything about our community.

"They are afraid because people have a bad opinion of them. It's time for Darwen to realise that these are decent people and if we treat them as human beings, they will become valuable members of society. They don't want to come here and do nothing, they would rather work for their money and if we go to war, who knows, we could be in the same situation as them one day.

"We could do a lot more than we do and we need to get everybody involved in helping them come into our community.

"It will give people a chance to get to know them and discover what they are really like and understand them better.

"There is a problem and it needs to be discussed and people need to understand their plight." Darwen asylum seekers will have the chance to meet members from the town's local businesses and church heads, as well as residents.

Mr Melia said: "Asylum seekers tend to walk around in groups in the town and the general idea is that we want people to see that they are not aliens.

"They have something to give to this community which is very important. In the long-term it could open up job opportunities and increase our workforce here.

"It's a very important thing that needs to be done."

The Rev Kevin Arkell of St Peter's and St Paul's Parish said: "Anything we can do to integrate communities has to be a good thing."