AN event is being held in Llandrindod Wells on Monday (December 12) for hosts or Ukrainian visitors who are taking part in the Powys initiative to help rehome residents of the war-torn European country.

Llandrindod Wells Library will be the venue for the Ukrainian refugee resettlement programme feedback session on Monday, between 10am and 2pm.

Confirmed attendees include Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB), the Department for Work and Pensions, Careers Wales, Communities for Work Plus, Citizens Advice Powys and Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO).

Powys County Council, organisers of the event, are encouraging hosts, refugees or anyone involved with the programme to attend if you have questions or feedback.

Similar events are also being held in Brecon, on Thursday, December 15, at Y Gaer, and next Tuesday, December 20, at Newtown Library.

Many Powys residents have fully immersed themselves in the efforts to assist Ukraine refugees.

County Times: Svitlana Frolova and son Pavlo have settled into life in Llanwrtyd Svitlana Frolova and son Pavlo have settled into life in Llanwrtyd

In Knighton and Presteigne, the Knighton and District Refugee Support Group (KDRSG) donated £1,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee after the Welsh Government signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme as a super-sponsor.

Following a well-attended meeting on March 23 in Presteigne, which was chaired by KDRSG for those interested in hosting Ukrainian refugees, a register of potential hosts was launched.

KDRSG has worked to welcome and support people seeking refuge in the UK by providing respite and sanctuary, as well as raising awareness and funds since it was set up in 2019 – and this year they have been mobilising people locally to help support Ukrainian residents fleeing the carnage in their homeland since Russia invaded in February.

Knighton and District Rotary Club, meanwhile, was recently successful in applying for a grant of more than £1,000 to support Ukrainian families living locally.

In October the Rotary club successfully applied for a £1,200 grant from its own International charity, the Rotary Foundation.

Knighton Rotary president Kim Smith said the grant is specifically to support Ukrainian families being hosted in the Knighton and district region.

The Rotary club has worked with the North Herefordshire and South Shropshire Support Group to identify the needs of Ukrainian families and says the grant will be used to provide ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for adults and children.

In October, we featured the heartwarming story of Svitlana Frolova, who was forced to flee her homeland along with seven-year-old son Pavlo and her mother Soya in February, but has since found a second one in Llanwrtyd Wells – where she is baking Ukrainian cakes and selling them in Caffi Sosban and sending profits made back home.

County Times: Svitlana Frolova has found a second home in Llanwrtyd Wells Svitlana Frolova has found a second home in Llanwrtyd Wells

Svitlana, 42, admitted that swapping her home town of Kharkiv and its 1.5 million inhabitants for Llanwrtyd and its less than 1,000 was daunting at first. But the warmest of Welsh welcomes has left her feeling like she’s found another home, having been taken in by local guesthouse owners Bernice Benton and her husband John.

“I heard from friends about the Home for Ukrainians programme and decided to try to find a family that would shelter us,” she said.

“I went to Facebook, wrote a big post about myself and that I was looking for kind people, and just a few days later I met Bernie and John.

“We talked on Zoom for only a few minutes, but we immediately realised this was our family. Pavlo was brought school things, including toys and a bicycle. This town has already become a second home for us, and Bernie and John are definitely my family.”

There is also a Facebook group people can join to help the cause, just visit Powys - Ukrainian refugee host support group.