A POWERFUL exhibition has opened at Bolton Museum, charting the lives of vulnerable African refugees who have settled in the town.

The families, from Sudan, came to Bolton in January, 2006, as part of the Gateway Protection Programme - a joint UN and Home Office scheme to resettle people who have fled war and persecution.

The exhibition follows the moving testimonies of the families who fled civil war in Sudan before spending years in refugee camps in Uganda and are accompanied by photographs of their lives in Africa and Bolton.

Cllr Ismail Ibrahim, Bolton Council's executive member for culture and community services, said: "This exhibition reflects aspects of life that most of us will fortunately never have to experience, but it's important that we show this kind of work so that we can understand these issues and be inspired to help make things better."

Rick Jones, the manager of Refugee Action in Bolton, said: "This exhibition is a fitting testimony to the refugees' extraordinary courage and will to survive."

  • The free exhibition runs until April 28 at the museum, which is based in Le Mans Crescent. Opening hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.