|
Welcome to your dedicated newsletter for Homes for Ukraine hosts in East Sussex.
Christmas can be a highlight of the year, but it can also be a demanding time. That's why we're asking you this month 'are you prepared?'. There are many factors to consider: is your family planning to visit you, are you going away, what are your guest's plans? Having a chat with your guest about these things and more can help make the festive period a positive experience for everyone.
It's also important to understand your guest's festive customs. We've a round-up of Ukrainian Christmas traditions to help you prepare.
During November Ukrainians will observe the 90th anniversary of Holodomor Memorial Day. This annual event remembers the famine of 1932-1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians.
This month, we hear the heart-warming story of host Sarah who shares the secret of her success in hosting Kateryna, who arrived in the UK last Christmas. Email us to share your story of being a host or a guest.
As always, we're looking for areas to improve and develop as we look to the future and how best to support hosts and guests in the next part of their journey. We welcome feedback on how we do this so that Homes for Ukraine continues to provide guests and hosts the support they need.
It might only be the middle of November, but many of us are preparing for the Christmas holiday and planning for what can be a demanding time of the year.
While we hope the upcoming festive period will be a happy and positive time for you and your guests, we know there can be additional stresses.
Some of the stress can be reduced by simply talking with your guest(s) about each other’s Christmas holiday plans.
This is especially true if your plans impact your ability to host, such as if you’re going away, or if you have family staying at your home and you need extra space. It might be the case your guest(s) is going away, so knowing when they going and when they’ll be back is important, as is knowing how they feel about their rooms being used in their absence.
If you are worried how the upcoming festive season will impact your ability to host, please contact us on ukraine@eastsussex.gov.uk as we may be able to offer advice or support.
|
Christmas is very important in Ukraine. Christmas traditionally used to begin on 6 January, but more recently its been held on 25 December.
Celebrations begin on Christmas Eve (Holy Evening - Sviata Vecheria) with 12 meatless dishes. The main dish is Kutia – a mix of grain, honey, nuts, and raisins - which represents wellbeing and hopes for a wealthy year and good harvest.
Then people who are religious attend an evening church service.
Christmas is celebrated for three days. During that period the main activity for visiting family and friends is singing carols and a special puppet show called Vertep, which includes the nativity story.
Christmas presents are for parents/grandparent from children, and grandparents always give presents (sweets/toys/money) to their grandchildren.
Ukrainians might say ‘Christ is Born’ as a traditional Christmas greeting, and the tradition of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, is kept.
The main house decoration is the didukh (a sheaf of wheat stalks) that symbolises past loved ones.
Local initiative group Proud to be Ukrainian is hosting a Ukrainian Christmas Fair on 16 December in Uckfield.
Book the date in your calendar and get ready for a day of creativity, culture, and community. This will be a chance to experience the vibrant traditions and experiences that make Ukrainian culture so special.
Check the group's Facebook page for more details.
|
On Saturday 26 November Ukrainians will honour Holodomor Memorial Day, or Holodomor Remembrance Day. This annual event remembers the victims of the Holodomor, the 1932–33 famine that killed millions in the country.
You might want to acknowledge this important day with your Ukrainian guests.
Remembrances include a national minute of silence at 4pm, followed by the lighting of the candle, when people set candles at memorials or place them in a window at home.
Read more about the history of Holodomor.
As the winter approaches many of us will have higher household bills, including paying for Christmas celebrations. These additional pressures can make this a worrying time of the year for many of us.
If you’re struggling with money related issues, we want to reassure you that you’re not alone and there is support available. However, we understand it can feel overwhelming to know where to find the right support and resources you need.
Our Cost of living support web page has advice and a range of resources in one place. The site gives advice of topics such as:
There are many other organisations and support groups who can guide you across a range of issues from money to housing advice. Our East Sussex 1Space page has links to many other resources available if you need further help, guidance or advice.
There’s a 50% discount on council tax bills available for Ukraine visa holders when they move to rented property. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has guidance to better understand the rules and how to apply for the discount.
|
Do your guests have mobile-phone Sim cards or laptops they received from East Sussex County Council when they first arrived, but no longer use?
If they do, we're asking them to return the unwanted equipment to libraries throughout the county so they can be redistributed to guests who need it.
Equipment can be returned to a library near you or one of our offices in Lewes, Eastbourne or Hastings.
If you or guest are having difficulty accessing the internet contact ukraine@eastsussex.gov.uk as we may be able to offer advice or support.
Does your guest need help with English language skills? If they do, the Library and Information Service has two offers that can help.
Step Into Reading
Free one-to-one support with a volunteer to help build their English reading, writing, speaking and listening. These sessions are held for adults at local libraries.
For more information speak to a member of staff at your local library, call 0345 60 80 196 or email library.enquiries@eastsussex.gov.uk.
Conversation Groups
Free, relaxed drop-in sessions for people who have English as a second language. All languages and levels are welcome.
The weekly informal conversation groups are at:
- Eastbourne: Mondays 10.30-11.30am and Thursdays between 10-11am
- Bexhill: Mondays between 10.15- 11.15am
- Hastings: Thursdays between 10-11am
- Seaford: Tuesdays between 10.30-11.30am
- Hailsham: Mondays 12 -1pm
|
Being active, along with eating a healthy balanced diet is the best way to lose weight and stay well. But with the autumn and winter months ahead of us, that can be a little harder to do.
To help, the East Sussex Healthy Weight Partnership has launched the #GettingEastSussexMoving campaign, to highlight and celebrate the wide range of fantastic things you can do and places you can be active across the county and ways to stay active at home too.
There’ll be a different theme each month, which will then split into weekly categories. The theme for November is “Heading towards winter: getting active indoors and out”.
In partnership with Active Sussex, the Partnership is encouraging families to keep going out with their kids to our county’s country parks/nature reserves, seaside, lakes and reservoirs, woods and local parks.
There’s information on the Active Sussex website about things to do to get children active this season.
Links for this and for lots of indoor/online exercises will appear on the Getting East Sussex Moving webpage.
|
Are you experiencing communication difficulties? Free support is available for Ukrainian guests and their hosts under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme to help maintain positive relationships and manage the challenges of sharing a home.
The service starts with one-to-one meetings to understand your concerns and explain the services on offer, which can be tailored to meet your needs. This can include supported meetings with all involved or a series of individual sessions. The service is confidential, non-judgemental and impartial and can be provided in several different ways to make sure it is safe and accessible. Taking part is voluntary.
You can self-refer, or signpost anyone who is part of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, within East Sussex who is experiencing either difficulties between host family and guests, or guests and the immediate community.
To discuss the support on offer, or to make a referral, contact the service covering the area you live from the two listed below. If you're making a referral on someone's behalf, you must seek their consent to do so. You can also text 07378 175699 in any language and we'll get back to you.
Lewes: Brighton & Hove Independent Mediation Service. Email casework@bhims.org.uk or call 01273 700812
Hastings, Rother, Wealden, or Eastbourne: Mediation Plus. Email neighbourhood@mediation-plus.org.uk or call 01323 442781 / 01424 446808
|
Winter can be bad for your physical and mental health, especially if you are older or vulnerable. It can worsen your health conditions, prevent you from getting out and about, increase accidents, and spread viruses.
Here are some things that you can do, to stay well this winter.
Get vaccinated
Vaccinations give the best protection against viruses.
People in priority groups need their flu vaccination every year. This should be booked via your doctor as soon as possible. Anyone not in priority groups can pay to have a vaccine too.
Autumn Covid boosters are available to people in priority groups and/or over 65. They can be booked via your doctor or by calling 119.
Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccinations can be given to anybody who has missed theirs, by contacting your doctor.
Avoid spreading germs
Regularly washing hands with warm water and soap, and catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue, before binning it, can reduce the spread of germs. Stay at home if you feel unwell and work from home if you can. It’s particularly important not to see people with long-term health conditions if you have Covid or flu symptoms.
Keep warm
Homes should be heated to at least 18C. People struggling to afford to heat theirs can get advice, and possibly financial support and energy efficiency upgrades from the Warm Home Check service. Common sense tips about layering clothes, having warm meals and drinks, and staying active can be helpful too. Visit warmeastsussex.org.uk, text WARM to 80011, or call 0800 464 7307.
Further cost of living support can be found at eastsussex.gov.uk/costofliving.
Citizens Advice East Sussex are working with the East Sussex Fuel Poverty Coordinator to offer free winter readiness training. These 45-minute online sessions help frontline workers be better prepared to help households cope with high energy bills and cold weather this winter. For more information visit: www.citizensadvice1066.co.uk/training
Be prepared
You can sign up for free cold weather warnings at coldalert.info, by calling 01273 484 337 or by emailing information@coldalert.info
Keeping a stock of food, water, and medicine at home is sensible, in case there is any severe weather.
Getting added to the priority services register by water and energy companies will ensure those most in need get priority in power cuts or water shortages.
|
Every year we write to people getting support from adult social care with information and advice on staying safe and well over the colder months.
The letter has advice on how you can stay well, get support with your financial wellbeing, and tips on how to keep connected to others and get involved in your local community. There’s also a dedicated section with contact details for lots of local support and services.
We think the information in the letter may be helpful to hosts and our Ukrainian guests, so we are sharing it with you.
Read the English language version or read the Ukrainian language version.
Hosting: my story so far...
When the Russia and Ukraine conflict began, like everyone, we felt utterly helpless at the awful situation Ukrainians found themselves in, writes Sarah Ginns.
I came across a Facebook page called Sunflower Sisters, for Ukrainian females looking for hosts. Kateryna popped up and I instantly messaged her to say we had a spare room. My daughter Lily had just left to travel and work in Australia, so her room was free.
Kate or Kat, as she’s now known, was two years into her law degree in Kyiv which had moved online due to the bombings and blackouts. Over the next few weeks, we FaceTimed each other, and got to know each other’s families.
I never once doubted it would work. We just carried on as normal. Kate arrived on 2 December 2022. It was my son Alfie’s 25th birthday and just in time for Christmas. We cooked lots of Ukrainian dishes together, played music, decorated the house and learned Ukrainian Christmas traditions to make her feel welcome. We went for our traditional Christmas Day dip in the sea, sang carols, celebrated with friends and enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner as usual. Kate and our son Alfie get on really well and that Christmas he took her under his wing and they enjoyed a few festive pub nights out where she got to meet all his friends.
Her English was amazing then, so this was a huge help. She got a job in the local Harvester between lectures, and we have taken her with us on holiday, first to France and then Italy, where she met up with her friend.
Secret to our success
The success I believe is to continue our lives without making any changes. We drop her into town, pick her up from work if it’s raining, buy her favourite biscuits, go out for tea, walks, visits to the cinema, or just leave her to chat with her friends and family on FaceTime.
Being hosts to an 18 year old also means listening to her when she wants to talk, helping fill in forms and giving her advice so she can achieve her goals. She is an inspiration - brave and hardworking, but free to make choices as a young adult. Nobody knows what the future holds for Ukraine but I’m happy we made this decision and we have gained so much from having her here.
Kate keeps us entertained with her funny questions and stories, giving us another perspective on life and she’s been a wonderful guest so far. Recently, she has transferred to Brighton University where she will study (and stay with us) for a further three years as it was not possible to continue her online studies.
We feel lucky to have Kateryna (Kate, Kat, Katya) in our lives and I intend to keep the promise I made to her mother Olena “to be her eyes and ears watching over her daughter while she is so far away”.
Jobs round-up
The latest jobs for guests interested in a new career?
Is your guest looking for a new job? We've the latest selection of roles and learning and training opportunities to help your guest get the job they want.
Learn more about the latest available roles in:
Useful contacts
Welfare checks
It's really important to us that all Ukrainian guests are safe and well. As we continue to carry out welfare visits for all guests who have been living with their hosts for six months or more.
The purpose of the welfare visit is to check guests are safe and well, confirm your guests are still living at your property and to provide advice, guidance and information to you and your guest(s). It also provides you the opportunity to express any concerns or difficulties you might be having. We would appreciate the cooperation of guests and hosts when welfare visits are arranged with you.
If you found this a useful guide to hosting our Ukrainian guests, then why not share it with a friend so they can sign up to our monthly newsletter and stay informed of all the latest Homes for Ukraine news. You can read previous newsletters at our host newsletter archive.
|
