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A former Commonwealth Games athlete who feared she would lose her life if she was deported back to her native Uganda is now instead looking forward to sharing her first Christmas in Britain with her partner.

Megan Nankabirwa, who now lives in Liverpool, fled to Britain from her home near Kampala three years ago after a neighbour discovered her in bed with her partner Lydia Nabukenya. Lesbianism is against the law in Uganda and many Ugandans hold very conservative views about sexuality. The couple feared the Ugandan authorities would prosecute and imprison them and they also feared violence from members of the community.

The pair had to fight hard to win the right to stay in Britain . An initial tribunal judge disbelieved that they were lovers and turned down their application. They eventually won an appeal, but not before Lydia came within hours of being deported. She had been taken to Yarlswood Detention Centre pending deportation the next day and was only released after church leaders and politicians from Merseyside intervened on her behalf.

The Home Office’s scepticism about their sexuality meant the pair were forced to live apart while their claim for asylum was being considered. While Megan was housed in Liverpool, Lydia was sent to Manchester.

Now, having won their appeal in June of this year, the couple are able to enjoy their first Christmas together in Britain free from fear.

Megan, who represented her country in the sport of badminton at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, told the ECHO she and Lydia will spend Christmas with some close friends.

She said: “It’s my best Christmas since coming to the UK.

“Lydia will be with me. I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Megan and Lydia are both Christians. Lydia added: “We will be going to church together this Christmas.

“We’re together and that’s very important to me. That’s the most important thing, that’s the best of it all.

“I feel happy.”

Reflecting on the years of worry and struggle, Megan said: “At least the hard part has gone.”

She says life is beginning to return to normal. She said: “It’s not been easy but it’s been ok.”

One on-going problem is that despite the passage of six months since winning their appeal, they still are still waiting to be housed together so they must still travel between Liverpool and Manchester if they want to see each other.

Megan said: “We are hoping to get a flat, but it is not easy. It needs a professional to help you. There are lots of forms and I don’t always understand what they mean.”

The couple are also hoping Lydia’s two children will be able to join them in Britain. Megan said: “We are working on that.”

Megan continues to regularly worship at St Bride’s Church, where she works as a volunteer at the church’s food bank.

Unfortunately, she has had no luck finding paid work yet. She said: “They always ask for experience. They ask if you can drive but I don’t have a car.”

She is looking forward to resuming her badminton career and hopes to represent Lancashire in the coming year.

Megan said there is much about Uganda that she misses, especially her mum. However, she says she is beginning to find her feet in Britain.

She said: “When I first came here, I knew no one, but now I have friends so that makes me feel better.”

Looking ahead to next Christmas, she said: “By then I hope I will have a home with Lydia and a good job and hopefully her children will be here. It will be really, really good.”