Prince Charles meets Syrian refugees on Cumbria trip

The Prince of Wales has met refugees from war-torn Syria during a trip to Cumbria.

Prince Charles spoke to two families who found safety after escaping their homeland and resetting in Carlisle in 2017.

He also heard from locals about the fight for Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, an agricultural college which shut last year.

He also sampled local cheese as he called in at Tebay motorway services.

The prince spoke to the refugee families after meeting local farmers and business owners at Hutton-in-the-Forest, a Grade I-listed house, near the village of Skelton.

Riyad Moussa, 45, his wife Myassa, 40, and their four daughters – Jamila, 14, Jana, seven, Hana, six, and Joanna, four – who are originally from Aleppo spent time chatting to the prince.

Jamila said: “He just asked how we are liking it and if I like school and if we like it here or not.

“My father said, ‘I’m very happy. Lovely’.”

Mr Moussa, who worked in Syria as a gardener – a passion shared by the prince – now has a delivery driver job but keeps an allotment.

He said: “I love it here because I came from war and I came here and I’m very happy.”

During his visit to Tebay Services, farm shop manager Alan Roberts said the prince was “so interested in everything we did here”.

Tebay Services, run by the company the Westmorland Family, works with 70 local producers to showcase the best Cumbrian food and produce.

“I took him through the local cheeses and he tried a new sheep’s cheese and thought it was delightful,” Mr Roberts added.

The prince – who unveiled a plaque marking the service station’s 50th anniversary – is well known for his work supporting farming and local food.

Sarah Dunning, chair of Westmorland Family, said: “It’s been a great experience for all our colleagues, as it’s our 50th year in business, a real milestone of working with farmers, producers and local communities.

“Championing local produce is a cornerstone of our business and we’ll carry on doing it.”

Other rural issues were raised when he heard from local residents about the fight for Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, which closed in July 2021.

Newton Rigg Ltd, a community organisation, is fighting to preserve the site for educational use, and rebuild land-based education and training.

The prince also met workers at Carlisle’s water treatment works, where he was shown how ultraviolet LED technology can be used to disinfect drinking water.

Matt Simpson, chief executive of Penrith-based Typhon, which developed the technology, said: “We explained how the process works, the challenges involved in developing such a unique disinfection solution, and the potential future benefits for the water industry globally and for high-skilled employment opportunities in the North Lakes area.”