Welcome…

to England and to Shalford, if you have just arrived here – we hope you will settle well and find warm welcome and support and friendships here. Welcome to too to this Ukraine Shalford Community Support resource webpage if you are a host or volunteer support too.

We hope this evolving page of local information and links to community support and resources in and around Shalford, as well as national and local authority and government links, will be useful to Ukrainian families and individuals arriving in this community, as well as hosts and volunteers seeking to support.

Ukraine Support Groups – Locally

GUkraine – (Guildford Help for Ukrainians) provides free advice and practical support as well as services, products, guidance and counselling.   They also organise events, classes, meet ups, set up GUConnect to put Ukrainians or Hosts in touch with others plus offer WhatsApps  / Telegram (Ukrainian speakers) social groups.  Their website (3 languages) is full of useful information, contacts and options to sign up for any of their free services or groups.  Visit  www.gukraine.org    You can also find them on Facebook GUkraine . 

The Hub – Guildford Baptist Church Millmead, Fridays 10-12 noon (click for more details)

Ukraine Shalford Support Group – is a growing network of people from Ukraine arriving in and around Shalford area, and residents already living in and around Shalford area keen to support families and individuals from Ukraine, and those able to host too. If you are from Ukraine and looking to connect with others (from Ukraine and local people), or if you wish to join in as a volunteer to support people coming to stay, the Support Group offers so far:

Thursdays @ St Marys:
12-1pm Beginner English Language chat/learning informal sessions – free
– Thursdays 12 -1pm, at St Mary’s Shalford. Every Thursday – including throughout the summer. Just turn up at 11.30am onwards for coffee and then starting 12 noon if you’d like to learn or practise your English in very informal setting and meet others, or if you’re able to join in helping with informal teaching or English chat (with some qualified volunteer EFL teachers).

Thursdays @ St Mary’s:
1-2pm Weekly Drop-in Community Lunch – drop in and meet others locally – children welcome, hosts, guests, anybody. Free – Thursday lunchtimes 1pm St Mary’s Shalford – come and connect with others, practise English, hear news etc over simple lunch. Every Thursday – including throughout the Summer.

Communications Network: Connecting Together
– for those locally in and around Shalford area wishing to offer support, volunteer, teach, or host: to join the email group for this Ukraine Shalford Support Group to receive news & connections please email here at the moment to join the email group. If you’d like to join the Whatsapp group please email with your mobile number too.
Ukraine Shalford Support Group volunteers include people locally with EFL qualifications, others who have English teaching experience, translation support, people able to help with forms and appointments, trips out, cooking or supplying food for community meals or to support hosts, village sports and health clubs and more as connections grow. If you’re a group or local businesses able to offer free/discount classes, please get in touch if you’re interesting in joining a Shalford Buy-one-Gift-one initiative), etc.

Local Authority Support & Other Links

Surrey County Council Support for Ukrainian Nationals page
– with links for School Admissions, Family Support, Mental Health Support, Support Signposting for Hosts etc

Guildford Borough Council Supporting Ukraine page

Settling into the UK

UK Government Guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK

Ukrainian Institute London Refugee Support

Employment & Benefits Support

Arriving in the UK:

* Every guest arriving from Ukraine through the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be entitled to a £200 payment to help with subsistence costs. This will be provided by the local council.
* Register at local Jobcentre Plus:
– Register biometrics to get BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) if not already
– Register for benefit assessments and job-seeking at local Jobcentre Plus .
Open a Bank Account
Citizens Advice Guildford – for extra advice & support

Employment or Volunteering opportunities locally:

* If you have any opportunities for volunteering or employment for Ukrainians in and around Shalford in your organisation or business, please get in touch if you’d like to
* Guildford Jobcentre Plus – jobs link
* CAP Job Club at Millmead Baptist Church – Job Club runs on Wednesdays and has a lunch afterwards. Nick Walden runs it nickwalden@capjobclubs.org

Medical Support

Register with a local GP
Register with a local Dentist

Hosting – Useful Links

RESET Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Toolkit – excellent & essential advice

Homes for Ukraine Scheme
Homes for Ukraine FAQs
Role of Councils – Homes for Ukraine

Support payment – Hosts eligible on Homes for Ukraine scheme can receive an optional monthly ‘thank you’ £350 via GBC after home & DBS checks complete too

Safeguarding & Care

Safeguarding – DBS checks are carried out (free) on all Hosts (all adults living in host households) by GBC as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Education: Children – Local

School Places:

Find out your local schools and apply for all school places through the central Surrey County Council Local Authority Schools Admission System

All nursery education needs to be independently sourced outside of the local authority and with nurseries direct.

Refugee Education UK

Children’s Groups – Local

Extra English Language Support for Children – in and around Shalford:

to follow here when any starts up nearby

Toddler Groups: most 0-4 years

Monday mornings 9.30-11am – Shalford Parent & Toddler Group – St Mary’s Shalford. Free.
Tuesday mornings – 10-11.30 Little Stars Toddlers – Christ Church, Shamley Green
Wednesday mornings – 10-11.30 Trinity Toddlers, Parish Rooms, Bramley
Thursday mornings – 10-11.30 Chatterbox, Lawnsmead Hall, Wonersh
Friday mornings – 10-11.30 Millmead Baptist Church Guildford

Children’s Groups & Social

Girl-guiding groups:
Rainbows – A new group hoping to start-up, please contact Hannah…
Shalford Brownies – Tuesday evenings in St Mary’s Shalford. Contact Hannah Roberts
Shalford Guides – Tuesday evenings in St Mary’s Shalford. Contact Marion Payne-Bird
Shalford Junior Sports…..cricket, tennis, dance – details to follow..
After school Ukraine parent & play time can be arranged in St Michael’s Peasmarsh Village Hall if anybody would value this – just get in touch.

Children’s Play Areas Nearby

Outside – Peasmarsh playground area
Outside – Shalford playground swings
Indoors – St Mary’s Church Children’s Corner -with toys for young children
other…

English Language Support – Local

Professionally taught English language courses………

ESOL and EFL Courses at Guildford College – latest courses here

Surrey Adult Learning – English courses for Ukrainian Adults

Informal English language drop in chat and learning………

Chit Chat Guildford – a long-running and popular international mix English language chit chat learning run by experienced volunteers.  Particularly for those with a little English.
Wednesdays 9.30-11am, St Mary’s Quarry Street, Guildford. Contact: Andrea Campion-Smith

Shalford Beginner English language learning/chat informal group sessions- Ukraine Shalford Support Group (& chances to make contacts to arrange some volunteer 1-1 English language learning) – Adults 2-3pm Thursdays, free. Just drop in to join in and meet others (come for free lunch first together too 1-2pm)

The Hub at Millmead – Friday mornings for chatting in English

St Saviours’ Guildford English learning – latest details to follow

Wonersh English conversation – Coffee, Cake & Conversation
10.30-11.30 am Every Wednesday. Welcome with coffee and cake, then English conversation. At Wonersh Vicarage, (next to St John’s Church, off The Street in Wonersh)

Shalford Groups, Clubs, Organisations & Social

Shalford Clubs, Groups, Health & Sports, Businesses

Groups, organisations and businesses, in and around Shalford. Please get in touch with any of these local groups or businesses to find out more details of what they provide and how you can join in.

Shalford & Peasmarsh Allotments – Shalford Community Council
Shalford Tennis Club – Matt
Shalford Parent & Toddler Group, St Mary’s Church Shalford – Monday mornings
Yoga & Pilates Groups:
* YY Yoga with Jitka, Mondays 6.30pm? St Mary’s Church, Shalford
* Beverley Townsley yoga classes on Wednesdays, 10 am – 11.30 am Shalford Village Hall
* Pilates – Heidi Monsen – various classes
The Dance Studio Shalford
Snooty Fox Café –
Shalford Barbers –
Shalford Thai Passorn Restaurant –
Chinese Takeaway –
Bicycle loan – Tillingbourne Road Shalford
Post office –
Choir Singing Together – St Mary’s church weekday evenings

If you’re a business or club or somebody seeking help to join in any of the above, please get in touch for more information about a Shalford’s Buy-one-Gift-one initiative: a scheme seeking to offer local people the chance to cover the costs for Ukrainian families and individuals to join in local groups and services in around around Shalford during their stay.

Social – Opportunities to Gather Together locally

Community social lunchtime drop-in – Thursdays in Shalford – drop in for informal simple community lunch together (or just for a coffee) in St Mary’s Church Shalford – Thursdays 12.30pm for helping to prepare; 1pm for eating. All ages. All welcome, from Shalford, Ukraine and anywhere. Just come along 12.30 to help or 1pm to eat and meet others.

Guildford ‘The Hub’ support cafe and connections – every Friday morning 10am-12pm at Open Grounds Cafe, Millmead, Guildford. Pop in, relax and meet other

other…..

Sources of Resources

Guildford Bike Project

Guildford Children’s toys & clothes market

Shalford Good-as-new or New Toys swap? –

Vouchers for New Clothes -?

Baby Basics Guildford – https://saintjohns.org.uk/babybasics

Guildford Foodback – North Guildford

Faith

Orthodox Churches nearby     
– St Mary’s Quarry St Guildford
– St Edward Brotherhood Brookwood Cemetery
– …

Church of England Anglican village church in Shalford
St Mary’s Church Shalford – main Sunday Worship Service 10am all welcome
Many other nearby churches in Guildford and in nearby villages.

Quiet Prayer & Sanctuary & special Prayer Vigils for Ukraine
St Mary’s Shalford – open all day every day, particularly quiet for prayer in the lady chapel, with votive candle stand. Special Prayer Vigils for Ukraine and other occasions too.

Weekly Prayer Vigil for Ukraine – St Mary’s Quarry Street Guildford. Friday evenings x-x pm

Church of England Ukraine Support Page

Church of England Orders of Service in Russian – translations of BCP and Common Worship

Diocese of Guildford Ukraine Support Page

Donations to Ukraine

DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

Other…

SUNFLOWER TV

A new non-profit YouTube channel created specifically for Ukrainian children displaced by the war has launched in the UK. Featuring up to 200 hours of Ukrainian and British content, Sunflower TV has been designed to offer entertainment and respite for the children of Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee their homes. Nearly two thirds of Ukrainian children have been displaced because of the war. Led by PACT, the UK trade body representing the UK’s screen sector, a range of organisations have pulled together to set up the dedicated channel offering programmes for young Ukrainian children who now find themselves living in the UK and Europe.  The content has been lovingly and carefully selected by some of the best media professionals in the UK with the involvement of child psychologists and Ukrainian mothers. This special YouTube channel will be a wonderful gift for Ukrainian children, a guide to the world of childhood, new knowledge, talents and dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfLdej0IDCtAWIpgRLMxhbw

Millie’s Guide to Learning some Ukrainian…..

Millie’s Guide to Learning some Ukrainian…..