Last week I was invited to the last session of the Ukrainian Café at the Baptist Church in Lancaster.  The organiser, Sue Nevinson and a wider team of volunteers have hosted many of these sessions so far, and they’ve done an absolutely brilliant job!

The café also acts as a support hub for our Ukrainian community to meet up, socialise and access local information and advice.

Last week’s session was very well attended and it was a pleasure to get to spend time with the women and their children. Despite the impact of Putin’s illegal war on Ukraine, these women are optimistic about the future and wish nothing more than to be home with their families.

I am so proud that Lancaster has welcomed these families with open arms, and making our area their home, even if only temporarily. Spaces like the Ukrainian Café have been a solace for many of these women, enabling them to access the support that they have needed to integrate into the community.

From the 19th of August, the café sessions will be replaced with a Language School. The same organisers will be offering Ukrainian language classes for 4-12 year olds, study support for 11-18 year olds, English conversation classes for adults and also continuing their work offering support with things like housing, personal finance, education and employment.