Every Tuesday morning between 1000 and 1200 a group of volunteers from Elmbridge CAN, our local refugee charity, hosts the Weybridge Ukrainian Hub at the Weybridge Centre for the Community. With over 400 Ukrainians in Elmbridge through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, this and other weekly hubs throughout the borough are proving to be a vital source of information as well as a place for fellow Ukrainians to meet over a coffee and homemade cake.
From finding out where to enrol for English classes, how to open a bank account or register with a GP or access school places and everything in between, including access to a Food Banks and other necessities that we take for granted, the hub has grown to provide support in CV writing and interview skills whilst also organising children’s activities. After several weeks, some of the Ukrainian visitors have also taken on support roles themselves as they have become more integrated into life in Weybridge.
There have been uplifting stories but also harrowing ones and the volunteers have shown compassion and ingenuity to find ways to lessen the trauma of settling into a new life a long way from home. It is always a pleasure when the same faces come back to the hub regularly to share details of their progress.
If you would like to find out more about volunteering at these hubs or would like to host a Ukrainian visitor or family, please email jsarsby@elmbridge.gov.uk
Good evening
I have been asked by a lady today day if I know the contact details for the Ukranian Hub in Weybridge. She herself came here 3 months ago and is renting but only has one more month left in her current contract and is having difficulty finding new accommodation. She speaks very little English and is finding everything very daunting.
Dear Kathy,
I can’t see that anyone has replied to this. Please could you contact Cllr Judy Sarsby who helps with the Ukranian Hub every Tuesday morning in the Community Centre: jsarsby@elmbridge.gov.uk
Best wishes,
Ashley
Hello. We are moving to Weybridge, we are founded an apartment, but it’s unfinished. Could you please help us with it? Thank you!
Dear Svitlana,
Thank you for getting in touch. Please could you email Cllr Judy Sarsby, who helps to run the Ukranian Hub in Weybridge, at:
jsarsby@elmbridge.gov.uk
Best wishes.