Wiltshire Council has second highest amount of hosts for Ukrainian refugees
555 households have welcomed those fleeing the war in Ukraine
Wiltshire Council has the second highest amount of hosts for Ukrainian refugees of all the unitary authorities across the UK. That area includes places like Cricklade, Marlborough and Malmesbury.
So far, 555 Wiltshire households have welcomed people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The latest figures show 727 Ukrainian guests have arrived in the county.
According to the council, there have been 257 school applications - 159 primary and 98 secondary with 193 school places already secured for the Ukrainian children.
The council's Family and Community Learning team has been rolling out ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) lessons across the county with more to follow. 60 people have so far joined the courses at seven locations at Melksham, Marlborough, Devizes, Calne, Chippenham, Salisbury and Trowbridge.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council said: "All our teams, our partners, our communities and charities are working so hard to ensure Ukraine guests feel welcome and can settle comfortably into Wiltshire life. Four months in we have Ukraine guests across Wiltshire, children starting in schools, people learning English and people also looking at employment opportunities. It's good to reflect on what's been achieved and is testament to what can be done quickly when people pull together, but we're also looking ahead to the future and how we can continue to support those needing our help while their own country is still in the grip of war."