FIFTEEN women from a town in Palestine are set to give talks in East Lancashire.

The guests will visit Blackburn and Brierfield on Tuesday to tell visitors about what it is like to live under occupation.

The scheme is organised by the Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association, which is based in London, and works on projects to promote awareness about the human rights situation in the Middle Eastern area.

Nandita Dowson, director of the group, said she hoped both the Palestinian women and the East Lancashire delegates would learn a lot from each other.

She said: “The women will be talking about their lives in Palestine. They are all young women, some are students and others do different things.

“It is all about bringing communities together in the context of the difficult times people are experiencing everywhere.

“People come along all full of their own problems, but they do not realise that these people are coming from somewhere that also has its own issues.

“For the women, England is different on every level, from the buildings and weather to the food and the way people behave.”

The women have already visited Manchester University and will speak at events in Wales over the weekend.

They will then head to East Lancashire on Tuesday. Some of the women will be at Blackburn’s Accrington Road Community Centre at 6.45pm and the rest of the group will go to Brierfield Community Centre for 7pm.

Nandita added: “This is the tenth women’s visit that we have done, which is amazing.

“It is very hard work but the thing that keeps us going is that we get incredible feedback in terms of how much both the women and those who attend the talks have learnt from it.”

Anjum Anwar MBE, dialogue development officer at Blackburn Cathedral, said she thought the project was an excellent opportunity for East Lancashire.

She said: “It is a brilliant idea. These women will have really interesting stories for people to hear.”

Cllr Mohammad Hanif, of Reedley ward, added: “People living in those area are at the front of it all and if they are coming to talk about it, we should listen to them.

“Only by conversation can we overcome issues.”