My name is Celia and Portas is my uncle. He has been like a father to me since my own father passed on over ten years ago. I had a major operation in June. Portas works hard but he still found time to come be with me. I have some family in the UK and several close friends, of whom I could have requested the favour. There was no one else however, who would have offered me the unconditional emotional support I so badly needed at the time, as Portas selflessly provided. Being the kind and self-sacrificing man he is, always putting everyone else before himself, he did not hesitate. He took four days off both his jobs and travelled all the way to Surrey to care for me.
Although I am in my mid thirties and have been in Europe for most of my adult life, I still find myself entangled in conflicting cultural differences. Portas has always listened and offered me good advice. In addition, I often seek help from Portas with relationship and work issues, and the sort of problems on which a daughter may need a father's guidance.
The thought of my uncle Portas not being around breaks my heart. I have cried myself to sleep most nights... It causes me real distress to think of the devastation his forced departure may cause my cousins Sylvester, Gerald and Emmanuel, as well as the children, parents and staff at Lady Elizabeth Hastings School and Collingham community as a whole, where he belongs.
People like Portas are rare in life; a man who changes the lives of whoever crosses his path. He contributes positively to his community and beyond. He is a great teacher in the making and a leader who leads by example. The overwhelming support he has received already, from adults to children alike, attests to his value to the British society.
If someone like him, who gives so much to so many, is not allowed to stay, what does it say to the children witnessing this predicament; children who are our leaders of tomorrow? I pray that my uncle be given a chance to be with his sons and the broader family he has made in Collingham.
Celia A