Imad runs his own shop, Arabica selling Arabic groceries, products and sweets in Bradford. He moved from Syria with his family under a resettlement programme in 2016 and has settled to life in the UK. Here he tells his story.
I was a building contractor and living a comfortable life in Syria, with a big family that I liked to see regularly. In 2012, my family and I had to move to Lebanon because of the war in Syria. While in Lebanon, we joined a UK resettlement programme which linked us to a service supporting refugees run by Horton Housing, and we arrived in Bradford in 2016.
I found it challenging to adjust to a new life in the UK, especially within the first two years. There is a big difference in the culture and the laws. As my first language is Arabic, there was a language barrier which made it difficult to meet new people and engage with the community.
I attended English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes at Horton Housing’s Training Centre and was supported to integrate into life in the UK. I made friends in the classes and the community and got to know families from a range of different cultures and backgrounds.
When I moved to the UK, I could no longer work as a building contractor as I needed certain certificates and the language barrier made it difficult to find work. A mistake made during an operation on my gallbladder in Lebanon left me with a medical condition. This also forced me to change my job prospects. Though I have been getting treatment for the medical condition since I moved to the UK and I am now feeling better.
With the support of my family, friends, Horton and other services, I set up my own business and opened Arabica in August 2024. I wanted to serve the Arabic and local community in Bradford by selling good quality Arabic products. My shop is unique as it is the only one in the area that sells a wide range of Arabic products.
I like running the shop as I like serving customers from different cultures and backgrounds. Many of the customers say that they feel like they are on holiday when they visit because of the products that I sell here. My son assisted me with running the shop when it first opened, acting as a translator between myself and customers when needed. He still sometimes helps out at the shop when he has time away from his studies at university. I mostly run the shop on my own now, working full days from 9am to 6pm. My English is improving as I’m engaging with customers and people in the local community.
I hope to expand the shop by moving to a bigger venue and would also like to see it branch out to other locations in the UK, as selling Arabic products is good business and in demand.
In my spare time I like to watch football and I am a Liverpool FC supporter. I was a football coach back in Syria. I also enjoy spending time with my family and gardening.
My family are also settled in the UK with me. I have two daughters who work in nursing and interior design and a son studying medicine. I am proud of what myself and my family have achieved. Their hard work, achievements and future prospects is what I consider to be good examples of starting again and building a new life in another country. I feel thankful for the support I received from everyone to get me to where I am now.
At the beginning I thought it would be difficult to live in a different culture and way of life. I arrived thinking I would not be a successful person. Within a week of being in the UK I found it was easy to ask others for help and I’ve learnt things such as using contactless for payment – something I’d never done before.
I am proud of what I’ve achieved since moving to the UK and feel grateful for the opportunities that were given to me. I say I can instead of I can’t. Because of my age and health, I was able to start afresh and have proved to myself that I can do this. I hope that this shows people around my age or with health concerns that you can take that first step, open yourself to new experiences, take on challenges and do what it takes to achieve your goals.