Live Q&A in Buckingham gives refugees and hosts a chance to ask questions

Refugees from Ukraine who have settled in the Buckingham area were able to take part in a live question and answer panel directly with local services this week.
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The Buckingham Ukrainian Q&A took place on Monday, June 20, during Refugees Week, whose theme this year is ‘healing’, through community, creativity, and conversation.

A panel of local services was organised by Buckingham Town Council on behalf of the local volunteer group Buckingham Support for Ukraine.

The support group had asked for the event, so arriving Ukrainians and their host families could get clear, impartial advice on a range of practical matters to do with settling into a new country, including access to health, work, education, and long-term housing.

The panel at the Q&A sesionThe panel at the Q&A sesion
The panel at the Q&A sesion

The panel included patient services manager Jennifer Laws, nurse manager Shelley Wagstaff, social prescribing link worker Lisa Carrington and GP Dr Emily Foggin from the Swan Practice, along with volunteer advisor Caroline Sturman from Citizens Advice Bucks and sponsor liaison area lead Deborah Stevens from Bucks Council.

With live translation from Ukrainian volunteer Ruslana Lazarenko, the panel was hosted at the University of Buckingham and chaired by the Buckingham Support for Ukraine chair, Heidi Young.

Ruslana Lazarenko said: “The Live Q&A panel was an incredibly important and useful event. It definitely helped Ukrainians to find answers to so many questions and challenges that they face daily while settling in a new country, especially for many of those who don’t speak the English language.

"I can clearly see the appreciation of refugee families for such support from local community and council, it’s invaluable.”