The weather turned up trumps in mid-May for our first HUGHelp (Haddenham Ukraine Group Help) meet up in the village for Ukrainian guests, their hosts and supporters.
Our HUGHelp group of hosts and supporters now comprises 47 people keeping in touch by WhatsApp or email to share info and experiences for mutual benefit and to help give our Ukrainian guests as warm a welcome as we can.
We have 5 families who have arrived in the village plus 2 others nearby. Several other families are at the visa application stage or due to arrive in the next few weeks so the village will have lots of people to welcome and support over the coming months.
Regular weekly meet ups for Ukrainians and guests are happening in Thame (Thursday morning), Waddesdon (Tuesday morning) and Aylesbury (Thursday midday)
Alongside her own part time job, Julie Taylor is doing a fantastic job of running the Pop up shop for Ukrainians (venue kindly provided by Jane at Bradmoor Farm). The shop is an invaluable resource for guests who often arrive with very little. Opening times and details of supplies needed week by week are posted on the Haddenham.net Facebook page.
Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters who are helping man the Pop Up shop and who are providing supplies, welcoming gifts and friendship* for our new arrivals. (*Inviting guests for meals for example. Treating guests to traditional Fish & Chips also seems to go down well!) There is plenty of scope for people to help support our guests and hosts even if they are not able to be a host themselves.
There is a Viber (type of WhatsApp) group set up specifically for local Ukrainians to keep in touch with each other.
Contact Alison Green or Julie Taylor for info about joining our HUGHelp group on WhatsApp or email. Email: alison@greenchurchway.com
If anyone is thinking about hosting Ukrainians through the government's Homes For Ukraine scheme then please do help if you can? There are so many families needing help and their stories are heart breaking. Yes, the bureaucracy to get them here and get them settled is a challenge but the rewards are worth it. We are loving having our 2 young Ukrainians with us.
We can't change the world single-handedly but we can change one person or one family's life profoundly in this situation. (See the Starfish story....)
