A PARISH council has given its support for a plaque in memory of refugees who stayed in the area.

Brampton Parish Council has agreed in principal to put up the memorial plaque at the site of an old workhouse on Union Lane where 100 Basque refugees stayed.

In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, a group of almost 4,000 children, the niños vascos, plus some teachers and priests, were evacuated to the UK from Santurzi, the port of Bilbao in the Basque region of Spain.

Luis Eckerly’s mother was one of the refugees and came up with the idea for the plaque.

Luis said: “Brampton Parish Council has taken it on board, and I have even made suggestions for some of the wording that should be put on to the plaque," he said.

"And if they could site it where the old workhouse used to be, in a similar vein to what a blue plaque would be, I am fully in support of it.

"And I am so pleased that the parish council are also in support of that idea.

“I think we shouldn’t forget the things that have gone on through history."

He continued: “Also, it is very relevant to the modern day as much as it was so many years ago, and also the fact that the people of Brampton, and what they did as just a small town on the outskirts of Carlisle, was very significant.

"Certainly, without their support, the refugees themselves and the other people associated with it would not have been able to go on and be a part of society in a way that would have mattered.

“So, it is very much in recognition of their efforts that overall have made a major impact on how they moved forward, my mum, and her family.

“Not only was it a crucial time, but you had the Second World War years later.”

Allison Riddel, clerk of the council, said the proposal was in its early stages.

“It’s still ongoing," she said.

"We need permission off the building owners. There are building works going on so we’re just waiting to see what can go there.

"There’s no design just yet.”