The Shires Community Aid Network

We were pleased to join the 10am Tuesday session for Ukrainian guests, kindly hosted by RYCE. Thank you to everyone who makes these sessions happen.

Due to exceptionally high demand for shopping vouchers we have taken the decision to limit the amount available to £20 per person for the time being. This is so we can ensure there are enough vouchers to support as many people as possible.

It is also taking us longer than expected to process claims due to reduced volunteering levels to help us assess each claim and send them out. We are working with local councils to put in place click-and-collect services, which we hope will speed up the turnaround time.

We stand squarely with Church Hill Big Local who have had their work targeted by persistent and relentless vandals, the latest being criminal damage to a local peace memorial. If you have information that may be useful to local police please report it by calling 101. You can also contact us or CHBL direcly with any intelligence you want to share - we can keep you anonymous. Don't stay silent whilst your community is targeted by criminals - speak up.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Due to an overwhelming uptake of our shopping voucher support scheme we now need volunteers to help us deliver the envelopes to people’s homes.

You will be provided with envelopes to hand over and get a signature for. Unfortunately we can’t current pay mileage claims for this, so we are looking for super generous volunteers to support us at this time.

If you’d like to help please email [email protected] with your name, address, and a phone number.

THANK YOU

We'll help with the shopping, so you can focus on the energy bills and getting through the month.

We have a limited supply of shopping vouchers that we are keen to grant to people in need across Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershier, Herefordshire and Shropshire (basically the places ending in 'shire').

These shopping vouchers can be used in-store including at self-service checkouts.

Eligibility assessments apply, and sadly we cannot say yes to everyone - it depends on your circumstances, but even if we can't help you directly we can probably signpost you in the right direction.

The link below will take you to our services page and from there you can click the link to apply for vouchers.

https://shirescan.org.uk/services/how-we-help/

PS: If you don't need help, but you want to help others we are in need of volunteers to help administer the scheme, first class stamps, and donations to support our running costs. All help welcome! You can email us on [email protected] to get involved.

The Shires Community Aid Network updated their website address.

Tonight we delivered the first of our ‘booster packages’ to Ukrainian guests who have arrived with their Redditch-based hosts but with little in the way of possessions.

Our package sits alongside government support and helps promote independence whilst providing a helping hand. We don’t put a value on the package as each family is individually assessed.

Our thanks go to the hosts, and to their brave guests for choosing our community as their new home for now. We hope you will be safe, comfortable and happy with us all here in Redditch.

If you have refugee guests who need an extra bit of help please email us on [email protected] to see if we can help.

As we look beyond the pandemic the charity is considering a change of name so it’s clearer that we cover beyond Redditch and we can help with more than pandemic related issues.

Our charitable objectives allow us to provide or facilitate:
- Education and/or training
- Support for people to start their own business
- Health and Well-being
- Crime prevention
- Relief from pandemics, disasters, etc

The charity has always been keen to engage our public and so we would very much welcome your suggestions for our new name.

Please feel free to share your idea in the comments below or email us: [email protected]

Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.

Спонсорська програма «Житло для України»

SUPPORTING YOU

Did you know?

If you or someone you know are struggling to cope with managing, there are a number of community hubs and charitable organisations within the locality who can offer advice and help.

No-one should ever feel alone in their struggles and it's an important reminder that help is out there.

Let's put the power of social media to good use to share that message.

The Support Redditch Team would like to wish you a very Happy Easter.

Check out our page and like for updates on our work in the community.

Thank you.

c.tenor.com

COUNCIL TAX

Council tax discounts you are entitled to won’t be affected by taking in Ukrainian guests.

If you have any concerns your local town hall can offer further advice.

We are now at 46 potential hosts, who could host up-to 123 Ukrainian guests. Later this week we will be meeting with various community stakeholders and volunteers, along with meetings with the councils and MPs. If there is anything you would like us to raise or look into at these meetings please let us know.

We are looking for a social media volunteer. Someone to look after our Facebook Inbox, put posts up, monitor social media and also look after Twitter and Instagram for us too. If you are interested please send us a message.

Key points regarding 'Homes for Ukraine' include:

- There will be no limit to the number of Ukrainians who can benefit from the scheme.
- Live and work for up to 3 years.
- Full access to benefits, healthcare, employment and other support.
- Sponsors can be of any nationality so long as they have more than 6 months leave to remain.
- Sponsors must provide at least 6 months accommodations.
- £350 per month thank you payment will be tax free, not affect benefits rights or council tax status.
- Ukrainians can access schools, doctors and full local authority support
- Sponsors will be required to undergo vetting
- Ukrainians will undergo a streamlined security process
- The scheme will initially focus on those with connections before growing to include churches and community groups

Sponsors will be able to register at GOV.UK

Support Redditch hopes to marshal local offers of accommodation. If you have a room to offer we can help you with the process if you register at the link below.

https://supportredditch.net/register-a-room-for-ukraine-in-redditch/

You can let us know about any Ukrainians wishing to come to the UK by using this link:
https://supportredditch.net/identify-a-ukrainian-for-sponsorship/

We would also be keen to locate any volunteers who can speak Ukrainian to support us in our work. We are also desperately seeking new Trustees.

Our coverage area also includes Bromsgrove, Studley, Hanbury, Inkberrow, Astwood Bank and Feckenham.

Support Redditch email enquiries: [email protected]

You can let us know about any Ukrainians wishing to come to the UK by using this link:

https://supportredditch.net/identify-a-ukrainian-for-sponsorship/

Support Redditch hopes to marshal local offers of accommodation. If you have a room to offer we can help you with the process if you register at the link below.

https://supportredditch.net/register-a-room-for-ukraine-in-redditch/

We would also be keen to locate any volunteers who can speak Ukrainian to support us in our work.

Our coverage area also includes Bromsgrove, Studley, Hanbury, Inkberrow, Astwood Bank and Feckenham.

Please share this post.

Support Redditch | Support Redditch is willing to act as a sponsor organisation to match Ukrainians with local offers in Redditch and the surrounding areas. Donate to Support Redditch Following the invasion of Ukraine, the government is launching a new sponsorship scheme to make sure that Ukrainians who have been forc...

Just listened to details of the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme via the House of Commons. Key points include:

- There will be no limit to the number of Ukrainians who can benefit from the scheme.
- Live and work for up to 3 years.
- Full access to benefits, healthcare, employment and other support.
- Sponsors can be of any nationality so long as they have more than 6 months leave to remain.
- Sponsors must provide at least 6 months accommodations.
- £350 per month thank you payment will be tax free, not affect benefits rights or council tax status.
- Ukrainians can access schools, doctors and full local authority support
- Sponsors will be required to undergo vetting
- Ukrainians will undergo a streamlined security process
- The scheme will initially focus on those with connections before growing to include churches and community groups

Sponsors will be able to register at GOV.UK

We have had 4 local families come forward so far. Thank you to those families for their kind offers. We will work with them, the local councils, and the government as the scheme gets underway from next week.

There's still time to register your offer of a room:
https://supportredditch.net/register-a-room-for-ukraine-in-redditch/

You can also donate to Support Redditch to enable us to continue our work and support Ukrainians and families hosting them. https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/18484

Register a Room for Ukraine in Redditch | Support Redditch Register a Room for Ukraine in Redditch Please complete your details to let us know you may have a room or accommodation to offer to a family from Ukraine. Your Name* First Last Your Address*This should be your personal address and primary residence (e.g. where you are registered to vote) Street Add...

We are continuing our search for Trustees to help shape our response to local emergencies and crisis situations. If this is something that might interest you please see the link below for more details.

https://supportredditch.net/2022/02/16/become-a-trustee-with-us/

Become a Trustee with us | Support Redditch Become a Trustee with us Feb 16, 2022 | Information, Service Updates As the charity looks ahead we are calling for new people to join as Trustees to help up shape future services. Trustees of charity boards are the final decision-makers. They have oversight of all the charity’s decisions and set ...

Support Redditch is offering to sponsor Ukrainians coming to the UK and hopes to match them to local offers of accommodation. If you want to be part of the scheme please use our expression of interest form at the link below.

https://supportredditch.net/register-a-room-for-ukraine-in-redditch/

You can also email us using [email protected] if the form doesn’t work for you.

Please also email us if you are aware of anyone in Ukraine in need of sponsorship.

We would also be keen to locate any volunteers who can speak Ukrainian to support us.

Our coverage area also includes Bromsgrove, Studley, Hanbury, Inkberrow, Astwood Bank and Feckenham.

Register a Room for Ukraine in Redditch | Support Redditch Register a Room for Ukraine in Redditch Please complete your details to let us know you may have a room or accommodation to offer to a family from Ukraine. Your Name* First Last Your Address*This should be your personal address and primary residence (e.g. where you are registered to vote) Street Add...

Support Redditch was at Attwell Farm Park today to help load up the lorries with goods for Ukraine, following on from our donation of some boxes and packing tape. The deadline for donations has been extended to this coming Sunday. Around 17 lorries have already departed packed full of essentials, clothes and toys.

The Polish embassy has restated its request for no more goods to be sent from the UK to Poland. Instead they are asking for generous UK people to run fundraisers to send money to trusted organisations instead. Support Redditch is happy to help individuals and groups who want to run fundraising operations here in Redditch and the surrounding areas. Message us on here or email [email protected]

https://www.gov.pl/web/unitedkingdom/humanitarian-aid-to-ukraine

“We call on everyone wishing to help not to organise further collections of in-kind donations, as their transport to Poland – followed by a lengthy unloading, storage, selection and distribution procedure – generates disproportionate amounts of additional work and cost, which proves ineffective and counterproductive to the needs of those affected.

We encourage everyone wishing to help to organise fundraisers and direct donations of funds to verified organisations that will use the funds received for assistance provided in accordance with the strict needs and effective operation in the long term.”

Humanitarian aid to Ukraine - Poland in the UK - Gov.pl website For the last several days, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London has been receiving information about the readiness of UK-based people of good will to support humanitarian aid efforts in Poland for those affected by the war in Ukraine. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the...

This from Polish 🇵🇱 embassy -

“We call on everyone wishing to help not to organise further collections of in-kind donations, as their transport to Poland – followed by a lengthy unloading, storage, selection and distribution procedure – generates disproportionate amounts of additional work and cost, which proves ineffective and counterproductive to the needs of those affected.”

Our position to this is that we will continue to signpost people and groups to drop-off at Attwell Park Farm if they wish - the goods may go to other countries on the border or into Ukraine itself if Oakland International can get through.

If there is an abundance of goods that cannot be taken out we will update everyone and work with groups to decide what to do next.

Support Redditch has now completed its transfer of our food service to Building Bridges Redditch CIC, which is now open 5 days a week in Woodrow Centre. Click the page below to follow them for updates. Email: [email protected]

Support Redditch trustees have agreed to create a fund to support Afghan refugees who will be settled in Redditch and the surrounding area. We have also made ourselves available to the authorities to let them know how we can help. We are going to need volunteers to assist with the effort, so if you’d like to get involved please email [email protected]

As we move to a (hopefully) better place with the pandemic it's time for us to review our services and how we deliver them. Many of our volunteers have now returned to work, and requests for food parcels has dropped dramatically.

We will be merging our food service with Bridges of Hope Redditch and will post more information about how you can access their online and in-person service soon.

In the meantime, we are looking to the future of what Support Redditch can do to help people in emergencies. To help us be prepared to swing into action in the future, and to help with the costs of keeping the charity running whilst the world returns to business as usual, we are appealing for donations.

You can give online at:
https://supportredditch.net/donate/

You can also support us via the Redditch Community Lottery at:
https://www.redditchcommunitylottery.co.uk/support/support-redditch-emergency-network

You can also support us via AmazonSmile at:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1188889-0

Donate to Support Redditch | Support Redditch Donate You can help us with donations of money, foodstuffs and other goods that we can use to directly support the people of Redditch in a time of crisis – not just the current COVID-19 catastrophe but any other disasters or trouble that might befall our town in the future. Donate with PayPal Onli...

Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select Support Redditch Emergency Network as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. Amazon will donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us.

How it works:
1. Open the Amazon app on your phone
2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programmes & Features
3. Select Support Redditch Emergency Network as your charity
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app