WHEN they arrived in East Lancashire a year ago, refugee families were so traumatised by the war in their Kosovo homeland that were they almost too frightened to speak.

But the joyful sound of traditional Albanian folk music and dance rang out within their makeshift Blackburn home last night when the remaining refugees held a farewell party.

And by Friday, the 43 remaining Kosovars must leave the former Laneside home for the elderly in Shorrock Lane, Mill Hill, which has been their home for the last year.

Some 33 of them have already arranged to go home and others hope to return soon, while some will apply for permission to start new lives in Britain.

One of the youngest refugees returning is Clrim Berisha, who was born just two days after his mother and father Rexhep and Miradiye arrived in Blackburn. His name means Liberation and was chosen on a day when generals tried to broker a peace deal and free his homeland.

The couple, who fled to a Macedonian refugee camp after brutal Serb paramilitaries forced them from their home, are set to return to their homeland this week.

The refugees are of all ages, and Sarife Buliqi, 68, and her husband, Bejta, 76, are looking forward to a reunion with their family in their home city of Pristina. The couple's son is making preparations for their return, and they have been in touch with relatives who have assured them that all the family members are safe and well. But they are not sure whether they will be able to return to their old home, which has been vandalised and broken into.

Sarife said: "We have been treated very nicely here and it has been nice to see a different way of life. But I want to get back. All our family are all right and my son is waiting to welcome us."

Manager of the home Jennie Grunshaw and her team of workers have seen the refugees cast off their fears and begin to overcome their nightmare experiences. Today the families are more like their true selves -- smiling, joking and gossiping -- although they are worried about what they will find when they go home.

Jennie said: "Almost all of the people here want to return home. They are looking forward to it, although they are a bit sceptical about what they are going to find.

"When they first arrived they were very scared of authority and of people in uniform. We had to ask the security guards at the home to dress in plain clothes to set their minds at ease.

"The amount of fear inside them really hit me when they were going out on a day trip. They asked if they had to take their identity cards with them in case they were stopped and searched.

"It took a while to build up trust. But that was understandable because they had been put on buses in their home country and they didn't know where they were being taken."

Eventually the Kosovars' fears softened, and people who had once been scared of uniform were happily receiving social visits from police officers who would drop in for a cup of tea. Jennie said: "They are very grateful to the people of Blackburn and to the politicians who made it possible for them to come. They have adjusted really well and many have learned to speak English quite well."

The cooks at Laneside quickly adapted to Kosovan cooking in order to make their guests feel at home. The cooks soon became familiar with havla, which is a mixture of cabbage, meat, onions; pitta which consists of filo pastry, feta cheese and leek; and another Albanian dish which mixes haricot beans and beef. Home manager Jennie, who thinks havla is delicious, said the families had enriched her staff's lives by introducing them to Albanian culture.

Despite the traditions of their homeland, not all of the refugees want to return. Izet Brsha, 24, whose home in the village of Godishnjak has been burnt to the ground, feels he has nothing to go back to.

He has been studying English and computing and wants to start a new life in England. He and fellow refugee Afrim Hassani, 26, have found a house in the town and have applied to the Home Office for extended leave to stay in Britain for another year.

Izet said: "There is nothing left for me at home. I cannot see a future there. Even though it is always raining in Blackburn, the people are friendly. I like it here and I want to learn." Afrim's father, former electrician Rrahman Hassani is set to return to his home town Ferizaj with his wife Hajrie. Their house has been ransacked by looters and they will live with Rrahman's brother while they repair their home.

The refugees have forged strong relationships since they were thrust together at the home in Blackburn. Last night they danced, sang and drank beer together for the last time at a farewell party.

But after all the tears, talk and laughter of the last year, the corridors of Laneside will soon fall silent. By the time the building goes up for sale in July, the refugees will be picking up the pieces of their war-ravaged lives. And as they are fixing their broken homes, they may just pause to smile about the kind-hearted Lancashire people who helped them through their year in exile.

Picture: Toddler Clrim Berisha, who was born in Blackburn, with his mother and father Rexhep and Miradiye and right, Hajirie Hassani, her husband Rrahman and son Afrim