Support group for Ukrainian refugees opens in Blackpool

A support group for Ukrainian refugees forced to flee their war-hit homeland has been set up in Blackpool.
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The weekly support group gives the refugees the chance to meet other Ukrainian people and form a sense of community, as some struggle to adapt to their new lives in England after escaping the ongoing Russian invasion.

The group, which was set up by the Rotary Club of Blackpool Sunrise, takes place at 10am each week at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road.

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Rotary club chairman Alicia Grant said: “I just thought, I have lived in England for many years, but whenever I have moved, it has been to an unfamiliar place where it takes a while to get to know people. And I hadn’t come from a war-torn place, I could take my possessions, I could take my family – these people have come with nothing.

The Blackpool Sunrise Rotary has set up a support group for Ukrainian refugees at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool. Photo: Kelvin StuttardThe Blackpool Sunrise Rotary has set up a support group for Ukrainian refugees at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
The Blackpool Sunrise Rotary has set up a support group for Ukrainian refugees at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

"Some of them don’t know the language, so this gives them the opportunity to be supported, to meet other people so they can speak their own language and also practice English.

“We offer a cup of tea, cakes, biscuits and fruit so they feel comfortable, and some of them tell their stories of family left behind, and many are very sad.

"They have left their husbands, fathers. One woman told me she had left her brother, her husband, and her father, all serving in the army. There was one man who had left his mother behind because she refused to leave. The older Ukrainian people have been left behind because they don't want to leave everything they have worked for all their lives.

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“We’ve got a young vet, a pharmacist, an events organiser, a young girl who'd just studied arts and drama. Some have children.

The Blackpool Sunrise Rotary has set up a support group for Ukrainian refugees at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool. Photo: Kelvin StuttardThe Blackpool Sunrise Rotary has set up a support group for Ukrainian refugees at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
The Blackpool Sunrise Rotary has set up a support group for Ukrainian refugees at the old New Life Church on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

“The group benefits them because they have shared experiences. They didnt know these people before, but at least they speak the same language and share these experiences, and while it might not be the best situation, it assures them they’re not alone.

"If you’re the only person in an area where you don’t know anybody and don’t speak the language, you feel alone. When theres another five, ten, fifteen people who can all relate to you, you have something to start with.”