Guildhall to be the centre of help for Ukrainians in Oswestry
A hub for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict that has devastated their homeland has been set up at Oswestry's Guildhall.
The Town Council is to contact other local parish councils giving them information about the hub, which will be open twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays giving Ukrainians the change to meet up and also to find out what services are available for them.
Councillors voted for the hub and a host of other ways that Ukrainians could be helped at a meeting on Wednesday.
It followed a cross party motion from Councillor Les Maguire and Councillor Mike Ishwerwood that the town council put funding aside to help Ukrainians being hosted by Oswestry families.
Funding of up to £10,000 could be used for a wide range of help from essential goods and food to providing English lessons, travel too and from work and councillor services for families and youth people.
The meeting already agreed to give individual grants to Ukrainians being hosted in Oswestry of £100.
That decision was the first time the council has used its General Powers of Competence to make contributions to individuals.
One of the volunteers helping with the hub is Mike Lade.
He recently collected a trolley full of tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits and soups from store manager Wendy Astley at the One Stop store in Harlech Road, Oswestry.
"We hope the hub for our Ukrainian guests and their hosts will act as a place to chat, share stories and make new friends and is intended as a safe space where they can express emotions, to ask each other and ourselves for guidance and advice," he said.
