UKRAINIAN GUESTS IN CHORLEYWOOD
Ukrainians arrive in Chorleywood
Ukrainians say thank you to Chorleywood, for hosting them and offering a friendly face. Chorleywood is a welcoming place! You may agree with that, but did you know that we have over 25 households in Chorleywood and the immediate area, hosting more than 40 Ukrainians fleeing from the war? They have arrived here through different contacts and different routes – from all over Ukraine, including Kyiv, Mariupol, Bucha and Odessa.
Hosts would agree it’s been an extraordinary opportunity to get to know people they never imagined they’d meet and to be able to help them in their hour of need.
But we still need more volunteers. A lady in her sixties will be arriving soon in Chorleywood from Kyiv. She currently lives in an apartment block directly adjacent to one which was razed to the ground by a Russian missile. She is diabetic and supplies of insulin are becoming insecure. A host has been identified and her visa has arrived swiftly through the Homes4Ukraine scheme. When she arrives, she will need help to register with a GP, set up a bank account and learn English.
Others like her are still in Ukraine but looking to escape.
Hosts to take over
Another way to become involved is to take over from an existing host at the end of six months. This is known as ‘re-matching’. In this scenario, your guest will already have reasonable English, be used to the area, and that initial administration will have been done, with any children already settled in school.
Help is also needed from teachers of English Language and Literature GCSEs – the refugees are, in most cases, able/willing to pay for online or in person tutoring, to help their teens get to grips with this area.
Photo: Judith and her Ukrainian guest Alina
More Information
Further details of hosting new arrivals and re-matching, and the payments hosts receive for doing this, can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/becoming-a-sponsor-homes-for-ukraine and here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hosting-someone-already-in-the-uk-rematching-homes-for-ukraine.
If you’d like to discuss either of these options as a possibility, or just find out more, we would be delighted – please contact me, Eileen on chorleywood4ukraine@gmail.com In the meantime, listen out for Ukrainian voices when you’re out and about in the village, and be ready to smile and give them a Chorleywood welcome. We strive to uphold the values and support that made Ukrainians say thank you to Chorleywood.
Photo: Ukrainian guests at a Queen’s Jubilee party
