The government has found permanent homes for about half the Afghans and their families who have been evacuated in the past fortnight, The Times has learnt.About half the 343 councils in England have offered long-term accommodation under a scheme to protect those who helped the UK mission in Afghanistan. Until yesterday the Home Office could confirm only that a third of councils had offered homes.It has doubled the number of permanent homes available under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap), to 4,000. London boroughs account for a quarter.However, this still leaves more than 4,000 Afghan immigrants already in the UK facing indefinite stays in hotels.Britain is also still trying to rescue a “desperate” Afghan MP whose dog was hanged by the Taliban after western troops withdrew from Kabul.About half of Afghanistan’s 69 female MPs have been rescued by western governments. However, Nusrat Ghani, the Conservative MP for Wealden, has been in contact with one who is still there, moving between safe houses, whose dog has been hanged by the Taliban.“The conversation was very emotional,” Ghani told Stig Abell and Aasmah Mir on Times Radio. “She was in tears, living day by day. I receive messages saying, ‘I’m not sure whether I’m going to survive the night’. This is how desperate she is.”The Arap scheme is offering local authorities £10,500 for the first year for each Afghan immigrant they can accommodate and support, but ministers are expected to make it a multi-year scheme to ensure that newcomers integrate fully into local communities. Councils are also given £850 per immigrant to pay for English lessons.An extra £5 million has been put aside as a discretionary fund to help councils house very large families.
The West Front of the Cathedral was lit up with the new LED lighting system over the weekend, providing a spectacular back drop for the 21st Century.The colourful display, curated by Elite Electrical Eastern who installed the low-energy-use system, demonstrated the diversity of colour that can now be achieved on the west front via simple digital controls rather than the time-consuming and electricity-hungry process previously used.The new system has been installed as part of a wider programme of improvements to the outdoor spaces around the Cathedral, funded by a grant via the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.<div>As a result of the new system, the Cathedral will be able to further reduce its carbon footprint for the normal floodlighting of the west front, and can more easily be lit occasionally to mark special themes, events and services. The next occasion for this will be when the west front is lit in pink and blue for the Baby Loss Awareness service on Saturday, October 9.<span style="font-size: 1rem;">The Very Revd Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said: “It’s wonderful to see this new lighting in place. I know it has taken much hard work and dedication from the team at Elite Electrical Eastern who have gone over and above to ensure that the lighting system not only works well but is a credit to the architecture of the building. With their generous help, and thanks to the grant that enabled us to embark on this project, the Cathedral can continue to be a visible landmark for the city.”</span></div>
Our Heritage Open Days this year are Saturday and Sunday 11 – 12 September, 2.00 -5.00pm.There will be bell-ringing demonstrations. Please come and have a go.For the children there will be a teddy bear parachute drop.The bells can be viewed via a tower camera onto a screen in the church. There will be quiz sheets for the family. And a local history display “Village Families,” plus Refreshments and our ever-popular Pop Up Stall.Come and join us and if you can help with the running of the day, please call Sheila Jones on 200204.
