Saqib Bhatti, MP for Meriden, secured 27 tickets to the Commonwealth T20 Cricket at Edgbaston which took place on Thursday 4th August.
On Monday 1st August, Saqib Bhatti, MP for Meriden, attended the weekly meet up of Ukrainian refugees at St Philip’s Church in Dorridge. Saqib also hosted a surgery where the attendees could raise any questions they were having about their long-term settlement in the UK, such as finding school places and housing.
During the meeting, the attendees told Saqib of their newly formed women’s cricket team which spurred him on to secure tickets to the Commonwealth Games for the group.
With the help of staff members from the games, the Ukrainian refugees received the tickets and watched the match between England versus New Zealand.
Saqib expressed his gratitude to the staff at the games:
“I was thrilled to work with the Commonwealth Games to secure tickets for the Ukrainian refugees who had settled in my patch. As they recently formed a women’s cricket team, I thought it would be great to show them to Edgbaston Stadium, a ground full of cricketing history.
“The Commonwealth Games is a fantastic event which brings together so many different nations, not just the countries that belong to the Commonwealth, but also all across the world. I am so proud to see the West Midlands shown on the world stage, showcasing our beautiful area and wonderful facilities.”
“I also wanted to take this opportunity to say that I am so grateful for the generosity of volunteers and organisers who have gone above and beyond to welcome the refugees to the local area. I am extremely proud of the UK’s humanitarian support for Ukraine and my constituents have shown this in abundance. I will continue to work hard to ensure our new residents have the support they need to get settled in the constituency of Meriden.”
