We are all deeply moved by what is happening in Ukraine and the stories of so many families as refugees. A small group of people met the other day, under the umbrella of ‘Love Congresbury’ to explore creating a support network across the village to help those who are themselves wanting to help potential refugee families to come to Congresbury and looking at the possibility of sponsoring one or more Ukrainian families, as a community, welcoming them into Congresbury and integrating them into village life.
It may be:
- you are someone who has registered to open your home to a family.
- you have particular skills or gifts you would be willing to share.
- you are willing to offer lifts or other forms of support.
- You simply care and feel you would like to be involved in a local community project
If any of the above applies to you, then we would love to hear from you. We have opened a sub-grouping under Love Congresbury called ‘Love Congresbury Ukraine’ and you will find details at the bottom of this post as to how you can register your interest of support.
We’d love to hear from you, however small or big your offer of help, or if you would appreciate help in your own application.
In addition, we are going to hold an informal open gathering on:
Wednesday 30th March 7.30pm – 9.00pm in Congresbury War Memorial Hall.
where we will discuss:
- the latest government initiatives and support
- hear from Tom Leimdorfer, who has been involved with the Clevedon Refugee Council for the last three years, and who have been supporting Afghan and Kurdish families.
- Explore possible offers and ideas locally at ways people can become involved
So please come along if you are able. Thank you to the Memorial Hall Committee who have kindly offered the building for the evening, and for offering the Bar to be open.
We hope that by coming together and supporting one another as a village we can make some small difference. Even if we can help just one family it will all be worthwhile.
You can access our downloadable registration form to offer your support or to let us know if you are hoping to host a family here:
Please keep the situation of Ukraine in your thoughts at this time and look out for further information on our Facebook page.
For more information
you may like to visit the Sanctuary Foundation website https://www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk/ or watch the webinar on Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees https://youtu.be/4n-Wmru5LIA or visit the Government website ‘Homes for Ukraine’ https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/