In order to welcome our guests we have created guides in Russian, Ukrainian and English for our hosts and refugees which contains a wide range of information.

However, if you are looking for additional information, support and local offers, take a look at the City of Sanctuary website that hosts supplementary information, which includes some seasonal offers:
• How to find English language courses
• Family days out
• Gym memberships
• Social gatherings
• Wellbeing activities

The Council is a supporter of the Winchester City of Sanctuary and therefore all local offers and additional support over and above those offered directly by the council and Hampshire County Council are referred to on this website. For any enquiries contact us via email on Ukraine@Winchester.gov.uk

Winchester City Council is moving to a more personalised support service approach since January 2023. 

• Online one to one drop-in sessions with the Community Liaison Officer (Ukraine) for hosts or guests twice monthly, on a Monday starting from 16 January. If required, translation services are available. These sessions will be offering advice on the best way to access services, cultural awareness, community integration, independent living etc. 
  
  These one to one sessions are an opportunity for the host or guest to speak directly to the Liaison Officer in order to be provided with direct support and answers to questions or issues you may have.  Please see the following dates to book your slot on our upcoming sessions:

  • 24/04/2023 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/information-and-advice-sessions-for-ukrainian-guests-tickets-528314752647

  • 08/05/2023 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/information-and-advice-sessions-for-ukrainian-guests-tickets-528315524957

  • 22/05/2023 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/information-and-advice-sessions-for-ukrainian-guests-tickets-52831678873

 

• Monthly in person meetings to support independent living. These sessions will be run on a Friday morning at the Arc, Jewry Street, Winchester commencing on Friday 27 January and will help those who are already living independently or who will be in the near future.  These sessions will give practical advice and support in order for our guests to continue with their journey to live independently. The next session will take place on 24/03/2023 10am-12pm.

 

For any other queries our dedicated Ukraine team can be contacted via ukraine@winchester.gov.uk. 

As part of our continued support for Ukraine, each month our team will be holding small hubs. To be accessible for all, these Mini Hubs will be held in different parish locations. Our last sessions took place on the following dates;

• Friday 3 March 9.30am - 11.30am – Denmead, Denmead Community Centre.

• Wednesday 8 March 11.30am – 13.30pm – Bishops Waltham, Jubilee Hall.

New dates and locations will be published shortly. 

Our Ukrainian guests and their hosts will be able to access advice and meet in a safe environment. Our friendly support staff will be available to help with housing advice and provide general guidance on what support is available and do their best to answer any questions people might have. There will be translation support available.

We have created an information guide for our Ukrainian guests. You can find it here:

• English ^{(pdf, 1.5mb)}
• Ukrainian ^{(pdf, 3.4mb)}
• Russian ^{(pdf, 3.4mb)}

On Monday 14 March, the Government launched its Homes for Ukraine scheme. This enables individuals and organisations the opportunity to volunteer accommodation to house Ukrainians forced to escape their homeland.

More information is available here.

Including a helpful FAQ section here and a set of local FAQs for Hampshire here.

Welcome: a guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK

Immediate benefit support for those fleeing the invasion in Ukraine

Homes for Ukraine: factsheet for Ukrainians

Move to the UK if you’re from Ukraine

Donations:

We are presently advising all those who wish to support those affected to consider the following:

There are many organisations that you can donate to including direct donations to Ukraine, but we’d like to highlight the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukrainian appeal. For those who don’t know about the DEC, it's an umbrella organisation for 15 national charities. The UK Government has committed to match public donations to this appeal pound- for-pound starting with £20 million.

You can support SWVG and other local organisations like TwoSaints, the Rural Refugee Network, Southampton Standuptoracism, Clear Southampton and Southampton or Portsmouth City of Sanctuary.

Voices of Children – a Ukrainian charity helps children recover from the impact of war. 

Sunflower of Peace – a US based non-profit providing medical aid in Ukraine

United Help Ukraine – provides medical supplies and humanitarian aid. 

British-Ukrainian Aid – they provide assistance to vulnerable and disadvantaged people. 

UNHCR – has launched an emergency appeal for Ukrainian refugees.

UNICEF Ukraine – is providing an emergency response to children affected by the conflict.

Additional charities you can donate to can be found here.

The Ukrainian Institute of London has more suggestions on where to donate, how to demonstrate support. You can also find information from local Ukrainian news outlets and journalists.

If you would like to help in person, the following organisations are calling for volunteers:

• The Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group (SWVG)
• Southampton Action or email information@southamptonaction.org
• The Rural Refugee Network
• Winchester City of Sanctuary 

• If you are unable to remain with your host and would like advice on alternative housing options, please contact our dedicated team at ukraine@winchester.gov.uk.

 

Hampshire Safeguarding Adults Board (hampshiresab.org.uk

How the National Health Service (NHS) works

• Advice in English
• Advice in Ukrainian
• Advice in Russian

Get up to date with your vaccinations

• Advice in English
• Advice in Ukrainian
• Advice in Russian

Winchester City of Sanctuary First Aid partnership info available here.

Hosting guidance resources available here.

Matching services for hosts available here.

Resources for supporting Ukrainian refugees available here.

Access to healthcare for refugees locally available here.

Systemic support for people displaced by war and oppression here. ^{(pdf, 177kb)}

Guidance for prospective hosts here. ^{(pdf, 281kb)}

Find most up-to-date local English language classes here.

Meeting spaces for refugees here. (Please note this Meeting Space is not provided by Winchester City Council and therefore not subject to our safeguarding guidance).

 

 

 

Winchester City Council is devoted to helping its residents achieve a healthy body and mind by providing a variety of leisure facilities for all ages to enjoy. Working in partnership with Everyone Active, which manages our leisure centres, the council aims to help more people experience these benefits by supporting them to be more active, more often.

For more information about Everyone Active and the Leisure Centres, see below:

Winchester Sport & Leisure Park

Meadowside Leisure Centre

Everyone Active is donating free memberships to Ukrainian families and individuals to help support physical and mental wellbeing and to support them to feel part of our community. To see what is being offered, look here: Ukrainian Refugee Free Membership - Everyone Active

Download here ^{(pdf, 58kb)}

You can get 12 weeks’ free bus travel from your local bus service by completing this form.

Your free travel bus pass will cover the routes offered by the main bus company operating in your area. Further information will be provided with your pass.

All children under five years of age and adults who are 65 and over are eligible for free bus travel in the UK, so they do not need to be included in your application for a 12-week free bus travel pass.

More details on getting a free bus travel pass if you are 65 or over

We’re collecting information on behalf of the county council and you can help speed up the process here. Simply send an email to ukraine@winchester.gov.uk and include the household details as follows:

• Names of all household occupants – including Ukrainian guests and UK residents
• Dates of birth for all household occupants
• Telephone contact numbers for all household occupants
• An email address to contact your household

Your data will be safeguarded in line with GDPR regulations.

No – the two processes are entirely separate and delays are not caused by the progress of either process. The visa process us undertaken by the Home Office – this means your local council is unable to speed up the process.

No, there are a huge number of visits to already underway and more are being scheduled daily. You will be called as soon as the team are able to arrange to carry out the inspection of your home.

The DBS process is initiated locally with the home visit from HCC but it then becomes a nationally administered process once the county council officers have initiated it.

The Ukrainian family will be issued with a £200 pre-loaded payment card at the home visit by the Family Support Service ( HCC). The Ukrainian family has to be present at the visit. HCC will then top the card up to equate to £200 per head, this is done remotely and can a few days after the initial £200 is loaded onto the card.

Contact childrens.services@hants.gov.uk for more information.

You can find a set of local FAQs for Hampshire here.