Author: communications officer

Please give them a call 01362 697953 NOW !

We have received this useful guide as we start to welcome Ukrainians finding refuge in our land. You can download a pdf version of it below.

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Many thanks to all those who were involved in organising and catering for the Lent Course Meal. It was truly a feast to behold and a great opportunity to chat. We were also reminded that Stephen Hawking was a very exceptional sufferer of Motor Neurone Disease, surviving as he did for 53 years after diagnosis: most MND patients die within 2-5 years. We listened to the following video which presented the story of one family’s experience of MND. Carol met her first husband Alex whilst he was serving in the RAF. He contracted MND and sadly died within two years.

Carol is currently doing a walk around Britain with her present husband John in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Society. We took an offering on the evening of the meal and that is being passed to Carol for the MND Society. If you would like to contribute, you can donate through their Just Giving page. http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carol-john-deytrikh-white1

Due to Easter Monday falling on the 3rd Monday, Community Prayers will be on 25th April at 11am this month. Details below.

We’re back outdoors on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Do come and worship! If you can’t get there, we’re on Felixstowe which can be received locally on FM or through worldwide streaming on the internet.

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You will have seen that our Government launched the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme on Friday 18 March 2022.  Reportedly, some 150,000 sponsors from across the UK have registered their interest in offering accommodation to Ukrainian refugees (‘guests’) for at least the first six months of their stay in the UK (which is permitted to be up to three years).  Proportionately, that means that there should be about 500 sponsors in Felixstowe – but I currently only know of ten

You may also have seen the challenges of matching sponsors with refugees, set against concerns such as phishing and people trafficking.  Consequently, links have been established between ‘trusted agents’ in Felixstowe (Kim Balshaw and others) and ‘trusted agents’ on the continent (mostly Christian), in order to offer a bespoke and more secure ‘matching service’.  

The briefing flyer below is being sent to our trusted agents on the continent who are already supporting Ukrainian refugees in their own countries.  It gives a summary of the matching service and our support here in Felixstowe.

It is intended to shortly offer all (potential) sponsors in Felixstowe the opportunity to attend a meeting to share knowledge and coordinate our efforts; further details to follow in due course.

Whether you have already registered your interest in becoming a sponsor or are still considering such, please get in touch with the Felixstowe end of the ‘pipeline’ by emailing FelixstoweHelpingHands.Ukraine@gmail.com.

If there are any major issues with this, please do not hesitate to come back to me.

Thanks in anticipation

Blessings

Kim Balshaw

07760 734416