Gloucestershire County Council say they continue to stand with Ukraine
Refugee host Tom Jarman says not enough is done to support Ukrainian guests
Last updated 23rd Aug 2022
Wednesday 24th August marks 6 months since Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Since then Gloucestershire County Council say they've homed more than 1000 Ukrainian guests in the area.
Coinciding with the anniversary of the start of the war, is the country's independence day. Ahead of this Gloucestershire County Council reemphasised their support for Ukraine. Yet, in order to continue to help the country, they are asking for more sponsors who can host Ukrainian refugees.
However for those already residing within the county many believe more needs to be done. Co-founder of Stroud Ukrainian Refugee Community Network, Tom Jarman says as the initial 6 months comes to an end, many hosts in the region will be able to decide whether they want to carry on with the 'Home for Ukraine' scheme.
Tom Jarman believes that their hasn't be enough support when it comes to helping the Ukrainian refugees create their own life outside of the scheme. He says "learning the language is very difficult.
"In Gloucestershire we don't provide enough language support, people might get 2 or 3 hours a week of language learning, you need intense 5 days a week learning."
Without a good understanding of the language Tom Jarman believes it'll be a struggle for many guests to secure work. He adds that alongside this, travel within Gloucestershire is also a concern. Without more support from the council he says it'll be difficult for refugees to move out and create their own life.
We contacted Gloucestershire County Council for a response, however they did not comment. On their website they say they provide English courses, which are extremely popular and they hold Job Centre sessions to help Ukrainian refugees find employment. They will also soon be offering support sessions for sponsors, having noticed the strain hosting refugees can have.