A LARGE number of asylum seekers have now returned to the Talbot Hotel in Leominster.

The hotel’s occupants were forced to leave last month amid structural safety concerns, but on October 25, the Talbot’s doors were reopened for people awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications.

According to Kathy Bland of Refugee Response Leominster and Beyond, many of the families who were originally housed in the hotel have chosen to come back. The returning children have been able to re-attend local schools, with adults now continuing their volunteer work with groups such as Leominster in Bloom and the repair café.

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While school places were certainly an enticing factor for many of the returning families, there were also apparently multiple people who have gone back to the hotel despite being childless and in an area without a mosque, Mrs Bland said the asylum seekers received a welcoming reception in the town, as well as gaining high-quality treatment from hotel staff.

The asylum seekers have also been embraced by the local religious community, added Mrs Bland, with many Leominster churches showing their support by opening up their kitchens, enabling families to cook meals in line with their native culinary traditions. They have also been holding events for the Talbot residents and confirming them into their congregations.

Additional plans have also been made for an imam from Craven Arms to visit the hotel and hold services for members of the Muslim faith.

“It’s really good, the families are delighted," said Mrs Bland.

“The children were back in school the day after they got back.

“What we want is a positive working relationship.

“The hotel in Leominster is doing all they can.”