At least half a dozen Ukrainian refugees have been housed on the Shotley peninsula, as part of Babergh's intake of almost 100 people escaping from the war torn country.

According to the latest data released by the government, the Home Office has issued 97 visas to refugees coming to the Babergh district via the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme, with 54 already settled in the area.

Refugees from Ukraine are understood to have been taken in by families in Shotley Gate, Shotley, Chelmondiston, Holbrook and Brantham, or are about to arrive.

One refugee, who is studying for a university degree online, has also found work as a server at the Bristol Arms, and has instantly become a popular member of staff.

Suffolk has seen 772 visas issued by the Home office, with 367 having arrived in the county.

Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed

Source: Operational data, Home Office (HO), and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

Number of Visas issued 

Number of arrivals in the UK by sponsor location

Babergh:

97

54

East Suffolk:

235

86

Ipswich:

60

30

Mid Suffolk:

157

81

West Suffolk:

223

116

Number of Visas issued 

Number of arrivals in the UK by sponsor location

Suffolk

772

367

Cambridgeshire

1,113

517

Essex

1,235

645

Norfolk

861

416

An information pack for Sponsors in Suffolk, is available on the Suffolk County Council website. This pack is updated regularly and contains information about the Homes for Ukraine programme, access to support and health care services, applying for a school place and more.

Please check these webpages first. If you cannot find answers to your questions here, please email [email protected] and we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.

How you can help

Frequently Asked Questions 

We know you will have questions about what we are doing in Suffolk to support Ukrainian Refugees and how you can help. You can find answers to common questions on our website.

Some of the topics we are being asked about this week are outlined below:

How does my guest receive their one off £200 arrival payment?

Once your guest(s) have arrived at your address, please email [email protected] and use the title 'Refugee £200 payment' in the subject line. Please provide the name(s) of the refugee(s), either a contact email or mobile phone number for the refugee, plus the address where they are living and the date of arrival. Where there are children in the group, please provide the names of the children but include the email address or phone number of their responsible adult from the refugee group.

The refugee guest(s) will receive one e-voucher per person (for example, a parent with two children will receive three e-vouchers. They all look the same, so they will need to make sure that they open all three text messages or emails in order to access all three E-vouchers). The e-voucher link can be opened directly from the text or email; there is no need to download the Wonde app, but if your guest has any difficulty opening the e-vouchers, please email us at [email protected]. 

The e-vouchers can be cashed at Post Offices, and your guest can choose to cash all three at the same time, or separately on different dates. Please note that it can take up to 3 working days for the Post Office computer system to be able to recognise and redeem the voucher number and provide the cash payment. This means, for instance, this means that any e-vouchers we request on a Friday are not live on the Post Office system before the following Tuesday.

Applying for Free school meals

Children in the school years Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 automatically get free school meals. Children in Year 3 or above may be eligible for free school meals. This includes if their parent is receiving Universal Credit.

Schools are being asked to use their grant funding to cover the cost of free school meals until the Universal Credit process is completed. 

Find out more information or apply for free school meals. 

Offering accommodation or support

If you are interested in offering accommodation via the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, you can find out more about the scheme and how to register at homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk. 

For the latest information, updates and frequently asked questions about the work we are doing in Suffolk, and what you can do to help, visitwww.suffolk.gov.uk/SupportingRefugees

Immigration information for Ukrainians in the UK

The Home Office has published new immigration information about the next steps Ukrainians need to take after arriving in the UK. This includes information about what Ukrainians need to do to confirm their immigration status, and how to demonstrate their status to access work, and the benefits and services they are entitled to.

Translated versions will be available in Ukrainian and Russian shortly.

The conflict in Ukraine have caused families to forcibly leave their homes, in search of safety, with many arriving in the UK.

In response to this, following discussion with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, Barnardo's has set up the Ukrainian Support Helpline to provide a holistic support service. The helpline is available to anyone fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

Barnardo's free helpline (0800 148 8586) is staffed by English, Ukrainian and Russian speakers, to offer support to children and families arriving in the UK from Ukraine.

The helpline is open Monday – Friday (10:00am – 8:00pm) and Saturday (10:00am – 3:00pm). Callers will be able to get help and advice on a range of topics.

A dedicated email address [email protected] and webpage have also been set up for those assisting with the Ukraine response.

More information: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/helping-families/ukrainian-helpline

Community Support for Ukrainian Refugees in Suffolk

Support from Suffolk communities is key to the county's efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in Suffolk. Community Action Suffolk is working closely with other partners in Suffolk to facilitate community support, in the form of:

• Peer support and networking for host families, and Ukrainian guests
• helping arrivals to join existing community activities such as playgroups, sports clubs

We are working closely with Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Refugee Support and District and Borough Councils to help coordinate the community response in the county. If you are currently supporting Ukrainian refugees in the county, or would like to offer your support, have a look at the resources available to you and ways to get involved

Feel free to get in touch by email at [email protected]