BUDE Refugee Support Group (BRSG) is working hard to help support the humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.

BRSG has planned an event to fundraise for its Afghanistan fund which will take place in the Acland Suit of The Falcon Hotel in Bude on Friday, March 25.

Starting at 7.30pm, the much-loved group The Countrymen will be performing and it is hoped a good crowd will attend this fundraising event.

The trustees of BRSG have agreed to match fund all monies raised from this event to send to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) for relief in Ukraine.

Tickets cost £12 and will be available from The Falcon Hotel, Ark Angel Bookshop and The Costume Rooms.

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BRSG is part of the Cornwall Refugee Resource Network which has collated the following information on how the public can help.

As ever, Cornwall is stepping forward and humanitarian supplies and money are already being collected. But some more thoughts have been drawn together by Cornwall Refugee Resource Network from various sources about what people can do:

Distribute Aid (distributeaid.org)

Unsurprisingly, the response from the grassroots community has been incredible in showing support for Ukraine and the people living there. Below are listed a few tips on the most effective ways to support groups operating in the countries bordering Ukraine:

Donate money

Donating directly to trusted groups operating in the region is the quickest and most effective way to support groups, their work, and the people they support.

The Disasters Emergency Committee, Red Cross and UNHCR are actively working in the region.

The chief executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has urged people to donate money because trying to transport goods from the UK, thousands of miles to Ukraine will take a long time and may not be necessarily what people need when it arrives: “What we would advise is the things that people collect today here in the UK are not necessarily what people need tomorrow.”

He urged people to “donate cash through a reputable charity”.

The DEC has warned that support for Ukraine is likely to be needed for “months and years” and urged people to keep donating.

If people still plan to go ahead with collecting humanitarian supplies:

Work with trusted partners — Local groups or groups with experience in these types of responses are the best positioned to provide safe and effective services and distributions to people who have left Ukraine.

Ask for needs lists — Ask the receiving groups what their needs are first and communicate with them if planning to sending them donations. Needs are often different to what is assumed. Since this freight route will likely be busy and warehouses very full, it is important that the most needed items can make it through.

Plan ahead — Organising a shipment takes time, particularly when considering exports, imports, finances and other requirements. Know what costs should be expecting, know what the timeline is, and plan accordingly.

If anyone has questions or need support contact Distribute Aid at [email protected] Mission Moldova is a Cornish based organisation which has been sending relief to Moldova, which borders Ukraine, for over 20 years (www.moldovaware.co.uk).

Reset (resetuk.org) is the national body coordinating the existing Community Sponsorship Scheme across the UK for Syrian refugees, but they understand that any humanitarian sponsorship scheme for Ukraine may use a different process.

Cornwall Council is looking for people to provide lodgings (plus some meals and mentoring) rather than full foster parent role to unaccompanied young asylum seekers from all over the world, (typically aged between 16 and 18). Visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-news/communities-and-housing/could-you-provide-a-home-forunaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children for more information.

In addition, there are several active community sponsorship groups in Cornwall, who would be happy to hear from new volunteers, including Bude Refugee Support Group (buderefugeesupportgroup.org.uk) and Launceston Refugee Support Group (lrsg.org.uk).

The Government has now responded to the urgent requirement for a humanitarian visa scheme, but the Refugee Council and many other organisations are still lobbying for changes to make that Government response more generous.

Keeping each other informed Cornwall Refugee Resource Network has a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/cornwallrrn or if anyone has any further information, they are asked to get in touch at [email protected] and CRRN will share it. They added: “We will do our best to keep this information up to date and add to it.”

A new sponsored humanitarian refugee route, to offer Ukrainian refugees accommodation in people’s homes was announced on March 14 by Michael Gove. BRSG will be offering to help coordinate this locally. If anyone is interested and willing to help contact either via the website www.buderefugeesupportgroup.org.uk or Facebook.