A public meeting was held in the city centre, organised by Salisbury resident and charity worker Jane Ebel, to co-ordinate the community response to refugees arriving in and around Salisbury.

The meeting, at Salisbury Methodist Church on April 1, commenced with short presentations on the most recent developments, given by representatives of local government and Wessex Community Action.

Read more: MBE recipient Jane on her trip to Moldova and her efforts to help refugees

Welcoming more than 70 participants, the Rev. Anna Bishop said: “As fellow survivors of Putin’s indiscriminate aggression, perhaps more than any other city in the UK, Salisbury want to reach out in solidarity and in empathy to Ukrainians driven from their homes."

Presentations were followed by a lively discussion, led by the Rev., between the participants, many of whom had already invited Ukrainian families to live with them.

A number of organisations who are working with Ukrainian and Moldovan partners attended and shared their knowledge of what is going on in the field and what the most urgent needs arewere in an ever-shifting scenario.

It was said that Wiltshire had been characteristically generous in offering sponsorship to Ukrainian families, with 136 hosts already matched with refugees, some of whom had begun to arrive.

One family even brought their guests with them on their second day in the UK and they received a warm welcome from the meeting.

Rev. Bishop said the room was “brimful of goodwill, of kindness and of compassion”, as people from all different parts pf the city’s life came together to discuss a coordinated citywide response to Ukrainian refugees coming to Wiltshire.

Several Ukrainian and Polish individuals have been leading on gathering supplies and sending them out on lorries to Poland, Romania and Ukraine, although it was highlighted that financial donations can often be more useful than bags of supplies which have to be unpacked, sorted and distributed.

It was concluded that meeting regularly, working together, and making use of Russian and Ukrainian speakers in the city (there were at least eight at the meeting), and sharing information would help both the Ukrainian visitors and the host families, while the community could provide wrap around care and support for both.

For anyone who missed the meeting, you can email ukraine@salisburymethodist.org.uk or register to help at salisburymethodist.org.uk/ukraine

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