Community party welcomes Ukrainians to Brixham

The charity Yes! Brixham combined forces with Brixham Rotary Club to host a 'Ukrainian Welcome Party' at the Edge in Bolton Street this month, writes SENGA WALLACE ROCHE.

The September 17 event was attended by Ukrainian families who have settled in the UK along with host families, Yes! Brixham volunteers and local residents, who all enjoyed Ukrainian and English foods including traditional borsch (beetroot) soup.

The original co-ordinator of the Torbay Ukrainian Information Hub set up a Facebook platform three months after the initial Russian invasion as a means of connecting potential host families in England with Ukrainian citizens who wanted to seek shelter and safety in Britain.

This proved a great success. There are many Ukrainian families now resident in Torbay with approximately 50 individuals, some eight to ten families, living around Brixham.

The re-settlement process has received incredibly generous support from local people and organisations.

This has included raising funds to pay for flights to England from European countries, where many Ukrainians initially fled.

Yes! Brixham has set up a Ukrainian Support Group which is open to all on Wednesdays from midday to provide information, advice and also access to free English lessons from midday to 1pm.

The English class has been running since June and has proved popular with Ukrainians, although anyone is welcome.

Learning English obviously helps in every area of day to day living but is especially useful in the workplace.

Ukrainians who decide eventually to return to their home country will have gained a much-respected international language skill.

Another valuable service at Yes! Brixham community centre is a drop-in free support to promote digital empowerment.

If you have a problem using your phone, computer, or other digital device, you can drop in at the Edge every Tuesday morning between 11am and midday, when staff will do their best to resolve any information technology difficulties.

Yes! Brixham has helped many Ukrainians in a multitude of different ways over the past months.

The effort to make settling in as comfortable as possible culminated in the Ukrainian Welcome Party.

By the end of the fun-filled afternoon, children of all ages were lined up on stage having formed an instant ‘orchestra', playing piano, electric and acoustic guitars and percussion.

Those Ukrainians who had never lived by the sea were delighted to have landed in the fishing town of Brixham while those who had lived on the coast in Ukraine are equally happy not to be inland or in a big city.

For further information on any of the services available at The Edge, call 01803 851414 or drop in at Yes! Brixham at The Edge in Bolton Street, Brixham.