A Frodsham woman has told how she was motivated by treatment of refugees, which she described as "horrifying", to show that there is another side to the welcome in the UK for those in need.

Pauline Lowrie is delighted that many residents in Frodsham share her views and have responded positively to her call for support for refugees who have been housed in a nearby hotel.

She told Frodsham Nub News how and why she has been inspired to show her support.

Here is her story:

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"It all started with Nigel Farage and Britain First, strangely enough.

"You may have seen the video that went viral on social media, where objectors to the refugees being housed there broke into a hotel and terrorised the already traumatized refugees by banging on doors and shouting racist and abusive slogans.

"I saw this video myself, but my initial reaction was just disgust that my fellow citizens could behave like this. However, a few hours later, a friend messaged me. He asked if I'd seen this video, and said he recognised it as a hotel close to his home.

"I told him how horrified I was, so between us we decided to get some friends together to let these refugees know that they are welcome in our country and that most people in the UK are not racists.

"I went to the hotel, where security was, thankfully, very good. The hotel manager told me that the refugees would welcome donations of board games, playing cards and so on. I have worked with refugee charities for a few years, so I also know that they would need toiletries and basic clothing.

"We returned to the hotel a few days later with donations of all these things, and with placards to make it clear to the refugees that we welcomed them.

"It brought a tear to my eye"

"Since then, three of us have returned about six times. We put out an appeal to the people of Frodsham and area for donations and we were delighted and inspired by the kindness and generosity of local people. We have got to know some of the refugees, so we were also able to request items to meet specific needs.

"There is a pregnant lady there with children, so we were able to collect equipment for her baby as well as clothing and toys for the children.

"Manor House School collected toiletries, clothing and snack food for the refugees at their Harvest Festival. It was so heart-warming to see the love that these children had put into their donations, and the warmth of the profuse thanks from the refugees who received them.

"The greatest need for these refugees was warm clothing, underwear and shoes. They arrived in the UK with only the clothes they stood up in, so most of the men were wearing a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, hardly the attire for a chilly autumn in the UK.

"They welcomed the donations and were so thankful for even the smallest of things.

"They all have some English, but among them are people who have degrees in English and are fluent in the language. There are teachers and engineers among them, from places like Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Vietnam.

"One little girl there is four years old. She opened a bag of donations and found a sparkly princess dress, some fairy wings, a headband with rabbit ears and a toy dog.

"I will never forget the transformation as she walked along in her sparkly dress, fairy wings and rabbit ears, walking the toy dog along the path. It brought a tear to my eye.

"The most recent time that we visited, there were some new arrivals. One was a 63 year old man who struggled to walk. He said he had a spinal injury and was wearing flip-flops that were about two sizes too small, that must have made walking even more uncomfortable.

"He asked if we had some clothes for him, and on this occasion we had already distributed the clothing we had, but we promised to return with trousers, shoes and underwear for him.

"Thanks to the wonderful, kind people of this area, we have helped"

"At this, he started crying. I never thought I'd see such emotion for such a small request. Later today we are going to deliver a bag of clothing for him, with clothing and shoes the right size for him.

"Another task is to try to get the children into schools. They are entitled to education while they await the Home Office to reach a decision about their asylum claim.

"The eldest there, a 14 year old girl, is almost fluent in English and highly intelligent. She is desperate to get to school to advance her learning and to make friends.

"We will stay in touch with these refugees regularly while they are here. I am proud that the people of Frodsham have gone a long way to help these people to come to terms with the trauma they have suffered, that caused them to make the dangerous journey to the UK in the first place, and to help them rebuild their lives.

"It's ironic that the help these refugees have received was sparked by the actions of Nigel Farage and his supporters. I remain horrified at the hostility shown by our government towards asylum seekers, for example by describing them as 'illegal' before their asylum claims have been heard.

"While we cannot change the world for these unfortunate and disadvantaged people who are often treated harshly by governments, we can change the world for some of them. And thanks to the wonderful kind people of this area, we already have. "