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Ukranian Refugees Newsletter

Ukrainian refugees: Kingsland Support Group

 

Update

Ukrainian refugees continue to increase daily (currently 7.5 million) as more towns and villages are destroyed by war.

Most are desperate to return home to their menfolk or families in Ukraine and see this as temporary, as in any war.

The proposal to find self-contained accommodation in Kingsland for Ukrainian refugees will only be possible when and if a property becomes available. In preparation for this several offers of pledges to help fund future accommodation if necessary have been gratefully received.

However more immediate support is required for those already here or arriving soon. So far three hosts in Kingsland have come forward and are waiting to welcome refugees into their own home, all are women, some with children.

Our group has therefore linked with the organisation overseeing placement of refugees in people’s homes specifically for the Leominster area which includes Kingsland. This organisation is associated with the Hereford diocese and Citizens UK.

Kingsland community could help in several ways:

Offering to host in your own home: There are refugees already waiting to come to the area and can be found for you by these organisations who will oversee the placement. Contact Lesley Grady 07525 159081 lesleygrady@me.com  or Ian Shanks shankdi@aol.com. You will be given £350 per month to help cover additional expenses and refugees will have access to some funds

Helping to fundraise or donating items: As people arrive with very little, initial support is essential and the government monies available to support them may not cover everything needed in the beginning or arrive quickly

Offering transport, to take people to appointments, shopping or for recreation. This could be a commitment to be available once a week/fortnight or month and a rota will be developed.

Helping refugees to meet each other, so that they don’t feel isolated

Teaching English, just patient, simple conversation will be a great help

Respite hosting in your own home perhaps from a few days up to a fortnight when it’s needed

Providing companionship, friendship or just a listening ear

Offering work for those who are ready and able to contribute

Helping people to orientate themselves in the local area

Most refugees are desperate to return to their homes and menfolk or elderly parents in Ukraine but need help now.

If you feel able to help in any way please contact either: Patricia Pothecary 07974 712 169 patricia@pothecary.net or

Mike Devoy  07876 593 977  michael_devoy@outlook.com

Report on the dog show on the Jubilee weekend

Picnic with dogs

From your dog warden

After months of meetings planning and discussions the Picnic with dogs finally arrived as part of the Jubilee celebrations on the 5th of June. And what a day. The public response was incredible, way beyond my expectations. I think this proves we are a nation that loves our dogs.

It was amazing to see how our younger dog handlers controlled and displayed their furry friends.

The events were meant for fun and I think the agility section proved that to perfection. One chap came up to me and said he hadn’t laughed so much for a long time; which after the experience and restrictions of the last two years made it all worth while. Even the weather behaved itself, so did the dogs.

The event would not have been so successful without an army of volunteer helpers to whom I offer my heartfelt thanks. They are too numerous to name individually but you know who you are

– THANK YOU.-

My thanks also go to the organisers of the horse drawn vehicle parade, cars and fancy dress, it was much appreciated.

The green was left in a remarkably clean condition which is a credit to all who attended.

Finally we must not forget the reason for the festivities which was to celebrate the remarkable 70 year reign of our Queen

A great day, maybe we should do it again…..?

Phil Christopher

Road after Lugg Bridge open for single file traffic

The workmen repairing Kingsland Mill Bridge have organised single file traffic.  Please follow the traffic priority signs and please slow down as bollards have already been crushed.

It will be closed at the end of the work when they come to take the scaffolding down.

Would you like to give a home to an Ukranian Refugee?

Leominster and surrounding area Ukrainian Support Hub

Are you interested in hosting a Ukrainian family, or supporting people from Ukraine once they arrive?

Hereford diocese has formed a partnership with Citizens UK to connect people who want to host with people fleeing Ukraine.  As coordinators for our local area, we are able to help with the linking of hosts in the UK with guest from Ukraine, as well as supporting with translating and the visa application process.

We are also working together with a range of others support hubs and charities, including Leominster Aid for Ukraine, to build a local support network. This is for both hosts and guests before and after they arrive. Support can include a whole range of things e.g. offering transport, help registering with schools & GPs, donating items to help people settle in, cooking meals, connecting people to social activities.

We are currently looking for people who are able to host our Ukrainian guests. However, you may not be able to host but have some time that you could kindly give to help with organising events, fundraising, transport etc.

If you’re interested in hosting or are already hosting, or are able to offer support, please contact myself, Lesley Grady (lesleygrady@me.com 07525159081) or Ian Shanks (07717 659422).

Kingsland Ukrainian Refugee project – can you help?

Ukrainian refugees: A wing and a prayer

We think Kingsland is a special community which would be well placed to provide a supportive environment for a family.

A group of us are looking for a rental property in Kingsland village to provide a Ukrainian family (probably Women and children) with a self-contained home until they can support themselves, maybe for six months to a year. There are some funds available to facilitate this.

We are looking for two things from the village:

  1. Information on any rental properties in Kingsland coming to the market as a matter of urgency. (Within the main village for someone without transport.)
  2. Pledges from individuals to help cover the first six months rental just in case it’s needed. The more pledges the lower the individual contributions will need to be. Although we are seeking to source available funds from elsewhere this would act as a fail-safe.

For your information:

  • There is a good system in place within Herefordshire from the Anglican Diocese linked to Citizens UK whereby families are already in place to move in. This group can provide plenty of support in several ways. Herefordshire Council also provides support.
  • There are individuals in Kingsland preparing to host refugees in their home already so they would hopefully have others to help them settle.
  • We already have an offer of some furniture.
  • There are translators ready to help
  • Most families want a self-contained situation for privacy and to prevent placements in someone’s home breaking down while they are traumatised, which is sadly all too common.
  • Our group can provide a range of skills, including friendship, handling bureaucracy, transport and emotional support, which may be needed by the refugees, and it is hoped the wider community will also want to be involved.
  • A group in the village tried to host Syrian refugees a while ago but the system in place prevented this from happening. The system for Ukrainians is in place and beginning to be better organised so, for the first time, it is possible.

It is by no means certain that it will happen unless we can find a property, but we would like to try.

Please contact: Patricia Pothecary 07974712169  01586708597

patricia@pothecary.net