Beedon Parish Council will be providing updates from local organisations as to how residents can support Ukrainian refugees. West Berkshire District Council has created a support hub and a local volunteer has started the Chieveley Ukraine Support Group.

West Berkshire’s motion to support the Ukrainian Crisis

As families continue to escape their homes in war torn Ukraine, we continue to see the generosity of our local residents coming forward to offer support. At last night’s Council meeting (17 March 2022), West Berkshire Councillors debated a motion to decide how we in West Berkshire can take part.

We passed a motion in support of Ukrainians who are looking for a safe haven in West Berkshire. We are united in the condemnation of the armed attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation and urge Vladimir Putin to immediately and unconditionally cease this unjust and evil war.

Our response during this difficult time will be to partake in resettling Ukrainian nationals in West Berkshire, this work is underway and will evolve as we have more details of the various schemes. In the meantime we have a dedicated Ukraine Support Hub that will provide help for those coming in to the UK and to those who will host a family under the recently announced Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Greenham Trust have set up an appeal on The Good Exchange to provide local funding to support those families arriving in West Berkshire. Greenham Trust and West Berkshire Council have committed to each contributing £25,000 in match funding, ensuring public, corporate and trust/foundation donations to this appeal are matched £1 for £1 for the first £50,000 raised. You can donate funds here: https://app.thegoodexchange.com/project/19509/greenham-trust/help-welcome-ukrainians-to-west-berkshire.

Residents can also offer financial assistance by donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee or the British Red Cross.

Cllr Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said: “We are proud of our history in West Berkshire of supporting people that find themselves fleeing from conflict. We know that the community will make sure visitors feel welcomed to our district and will want to support this scheme, having so generously helped nationals arriving here from Syria and Afghanistan in recent years.

“We play a key role in supporting West Berkshire’s response to the crisis that is unfolding in front of our eyes by standing with the people of Ukraine and express our unwavering commitment to democracy, multilevel governance and human rights.”

Garry Poulson, Director of the Newbury based Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, said: "Volunteer Centre West Berkshire are pleased to play our part in the Ukraine Support Hub to be established.

“We are confident that many voluntary and charitable organisations will want to play their part in supporting Ukraine nationals in their hour of need."

Greenham Trust quote: “We believe it is very important to help families arriving from Ukraine by providing matched funding alongside West Berkshire Council to raise a fund to ensure our local charitable and voluntary organisations can support their needs.

“Yet again, in a time of need, we will be working to the best of our abilities with the Council, the Volunteer Centre and other local organisations to assist those living in our community.”

The Support Hub is open five days a week - 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to 4:30pm on Fridays. To get in touch, please call us on: 01635 503579 or email us on: ukraine@westberkshire.gov.uk