A MAN who fled Syria for Barrow has become the latest member of the town’s refugee community to pass his driving test.

Mahmoud Al Mrejawe is celebrating after qualifying to drive almost a year after he settled in the town.

He is one of a number of refugees in Barrow to have passed.

Mr Al Mrejawe has lived in the town for 11 months having fled the war-torn Middle Eastern country, one of number of people find a new home in Cumbria after being resettled.

Reacting to his driving test pass, he said: “I am happy and relieved.

"I never dreamed of driving a car in England because I drove it in Syria for a very long time.

"But the car is important to us here because our halal food is located in distant cities an hour and a half and our mosques are far if we want to go to prayer."

On life in Barrow, the 36-year-old father-of-two said: “I have been living in Barrow for 11 months.

“It’s going well in general."

Dave Wood, the secretary of Furness Refugee Support Group (FRS), said the refugee community had settled into Barrow extremely well with a number of the members passing their tests.

He said: “It’s a great example of integration.

“A lot of refugees have now passed their tests.

“They are all doing really well in Barrow.”

Barrow Borough Council agreed to provide accommodation for up to 10 refugees a year for four years in 2015.

Since then a close-knit group of refugees have made their home in Barrow.

It was announced at the end of last year that more Syrian refugees are heading to Cumbria in the latest round of a government resettlement programme.

The Furness Refugee Support Group started as small voluntary group and is now a charity.

It organises a number of activities for the refugee community.

Trips have included visits to South Walney Nature Reserve and to the cinema for singalong versions of musicals Mamma Mia and The Greatest Showman.

Members of FRS said they aim to support refugees with integrating into their new communities and help them to visit new places, try new things, and to volunteer as assistants in English classes.

The charity started in 2015 to raise money and send supplies to refugee camps.