MORE than a dozen families of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and other war-torn countries enjoyed a day out at Mary Arden's Farm, in Wilmcote near Stratford-upon-Avon.

The children enjoyed meeting the birds and animals, trying out the games and making use of the playground.

The families came from the Restore Project in Birmingham, which seeks to support refugees when they first arrive, and introduce them to life in Britain.

Restore runs a range of activities for men, women and children, helps them prepare for work and in emergencies assists them financially.

It organises days out for the families during the school holidays, as most of the families could not possibly afford to go away.

The refugees learned about the Tudor life at the working Farm, which was the home of Shakespeare’s mother. There were lessons in Tudor cooking and manners, animal husbandry and a falconry display.

There were also a range of rare heritage-breed farm animals, plus birds of prey to see and even ferrets to watch. As well as the playground there were also willow tunnels for games of hide and seek.

Hosts for the event were Methodist Churches of Stratford and Evesham, who have adopted Restore as their project to support during 2016/7.

Event organiser Kath Fraser said: "It was really good to see the children enjoying something of the English countryside, when they spend almost all their time in the city."

Shari Brown, Restore co-ordinator, added that it was great to come back to Stratford, last year the group visited the Butterfly Farm, the ferry, and other attractions in the town itself.

Rev David Haslam, another of the organisers, said: "This is British hospitality at its best. These families have suffered conditions that we can’t imagine, it was fantastic of Mary Arden Farm to give us such a good time. I am sure eventually these lively youngsters will make their own contribution to British life. Maybe they will even want to get a job at this brilliant working Tudor farm."