З Різдвом Христовим! Merry Christmas!
This Christmas is a time of change for many of our guests. For most, the original six month hosting agreements have or are soon to come to an end so they are turning their attentions to moving into independent accommodation, finding a new host or agreeing an extension. At least a dozen of the 77 families in the Marlow area have found new accommodation and so part of your funding is covering the cost of homeware to help them set up their new homes. Whilst almost all of our Ukrainian adults have secured employment, finding an affordable rental in Marlow is very very challenging. If you are a landlord and would like to discuss offering your accommodation to a Ukrainian family or if you are in a position to offer a hosting arrangement in your home, please get in touch via mucmatching@gmail.com
Updated on Mon, December 19 2022, 8:38 AM
157 guests are now settling into their life in Marlow and the surrounds. Quite a few of the adults have now secured jobs and the school enrolments are going well. The incredible efforts of volunteer teachers have seen almost 100 people start to attend English lessons at Borlase school and guests have been making new friends at the Ark Cafe, Marlow library and at local events such as Pub in the Park and Marlow Regatta. Our hosts have been working hard to help guests navigate our complex systems to access services, register with the job centre, the gp and banks. It is a challenge with so many amenities not being located in Marlow but everyone is working together to overcome these barriers.
Updated on Mon, June 13 2022, 8:00 PM
Schools open their doors for a warm welcome!
We are so pleased to report that the first young arrivals have started at a number of local schools. Starting a new school is a stressful time for many children, especially part way through the school year and with language barriers to contend with. Our young guests are rising to these challenges and finding their way. This fund is already being spent on school shoes for the kids so that they can go to school well equipped and in comfortable, good quality footwear! thank you for your donations!
Updated on Tue, May 3 2022, 10:25 AM
Marlow's warm welcome!
Our first guests have arrived, and we are pleased to welcome them to our community. The hosts of the Marlow Ukraine Collective are ensuring that their guests have their immediate needs meet, and are able to take time to settle in and begin to process everything that they have been through. We know that as our guests meet members of the community that you will extend the hand of kindness, and will be sure to take care of the need for people to have boundaries. We have popped some advice on our facebook page to help people navigate their first conversations:
https://www.facebook.com/marlowrefugeeaction
Updated on Fri, April 15 2022, 10:04 AM
An incredible response from our community - 2/4/2022
The Marlow Ukraine Collective now has over 30 families/individuals within their network who have applied to become hosts for 90 Ukrainian guests (over half of whom are children). Not only is this a wonderful demonstration of community generosity, but also makes for a fantastic support network for new arrivals and the hosts themselves. If you are in the process of completing a visa application in partnership with a potential guest, you can access advice on this which has been created by collective members here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/522891169268851/permalink/527181955506439/ (please note this is community created advice based on experience of the system, not official legal/Home office advice)
Updated on Sat, April 2 2022, 7:59 AM
How to connect to the Marlow Ukraine Collective - 27/3/2022
The Marlow Ukraine Collective is a group of residents who have come together to provide mutual support and information about hosting Ukrainian refugees. They are a vibrant network of people who are putting preparations in place for our community to offer the best possible level of support when their guests arrive. So far around 30 host families have put their names forward, with many others offering practical support, professional skills and access to education, training and job opportunities.
To become involved visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/522891169268851
To contact the group: marlow.ukraine.collective@gmail.com
To read about one member's experience so far: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60840808?fbclid=IwAR1SSn2tSVLLecdxN6ZHWFeFSRe759G8jGR-980cK9obiS_dDeTW9TUTbbo
Updated on Sat, March 26 2022, 11:05 AM
