Welcome to your monthly Resettlement Project update for November. Read on for the latest local news and events.

Inna is part of the family in Kate’s Kitchen

Inna (left of picture) already had an interesting career before she arrived in the UK on 7 August 2022.

Inna graduated from university as a journalist in 1999 and went to work for a large utilities company in Kyiv that employed over 7,000 people. The highlight of her work was a big underground project developed with Danish colleagues that was intended to be a museum about water. Inna speaks about this project with great pride and how it became an educational resource for the young and the old. Inna had a son, too. It felt like everything was going well for her.

However, Inna’s world changed forever when war came to Ukraine in February 2022. She remembers how everyone in Kyiv was told to stay home for 3 days.

A friend invited her to Berlin and she stayed there from April to August 2022. Her son was very capable at English but less so German. There were only limited possibilities for her son to go to a German University due to his basic language knowledge.

She learnt about the Scottish super sponsor programme and decided that it would be better for her son to be in an English-speaking country. She would also feel more comfortable within the security provided by a national scheme. She did not feel the same support existed in Germany at the time.

Inna has always loved driving and this proved useful for her as she drove across Europe in her Nissan and crossed from Amsterdam to Newcastle. She laughs when she remembers how easy it was to concentrate when driving on the left side of the road. She stayed in the Station Hotel in Dumfries for 2 months but moved in with her host in October 2022.

At the moment, Inna is very happy because her son is already on the second year of his course at Glasgow Caledonian University studying Pharmacology. Inna is fearful that the war will never stop.

Although Inna’s son speaks superb English, Inna has worked hard to learn the new language and she has come a long way in 18 months. She studies ESOL twice a week. Inna qualified in home care but did not feel her English was good enough to understand the needs of her clients.

One passion gives her an incentive to make the most of every day. Inna’s expression changes as she talks about her love of cooking and her pride at the pleasure her food gives to other people.

She has already cooked for large groups at Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Association in Dumfries. This included cooking for 100-150 people on Burns Night and at New Year. Inna now works for Kate’s Kitchen in Annan. 

Kate’s Kitchen was set up in January 2008. It began in a church hall and offered bowls of soup. Everyone was welcome. It was aimed at those who were struggling to get a hot meal. It moved into the High Street in March 2021. It received support from Magnox at Chapel Cross during COVID-19.

Kate’s Kitchen aims to alleviate poverty. It is concentrating on an affordable food project where people can come and choose 15 items for £5. Unlike a food bank, clients are given the independence to make their own choices. There’s a gardening group on Wednesday that grows vegetables that are used in meals. There is also an arts and crafts group on Friday mornings. The charity rents out rooms for functions to specific community groups.

Inna used to work 5 days a week in Kate’s kitchen, but she only completes 3 days now. There are 40 meals served on Tuesday and 40 on Thursday with 12 meals on wheels. Inna had experience in delivering meals herself as she likes driving. She explains that Meals on Wheels is a good tradition. It is good for people who live alone.

There are many advantages to her work. She has met other Ukrainians and learned a lot more English. Inna is very clear on one point, Inna explains that Kate’s Kitchen is “like a family. It’s very safe and comfortable.” Kate’s Kitchen pays for their staff and volunteers to complete online food handling and hygiene courses for all kitchen staff.

Inna is extremely grateful to The Scottish Government for being allowed to arrive in this country, and all the support on every step. We were given two rooms in a hotel, my son secured his place at a local school after ten days of arriving in Dumfries.  The council staff were very supportive at every occasion.

Inna is very grateful to her hosts who are incredible. Every person in Scotland that Inna has met has been friendly and supportive.

Both Inna and her son are very grateful for every opportunity which they have received in Scotland.

No place for prejudice

Don’t accept prejudice. Don’t accept hate.

If you feel that you are experiencing any type of hate speech or behaviour, then you can report it at either a Police station or a third party centre. You can find a full list of third party centres by clicking the button below. 

If you are experiencing an emergency situation, then dial 999.

Olena is ‘Adapting to Change.’

Olena is the project officer for the AnnanHarbour Action Group. She is kept busy by her work!

Annan harbour is over 200 years old and has seen its fortunes change with the passing years. The Annan Harbour Action Group is a charity set up in 2011 to aim to revitalise the local area, promote harbour usage and raise public awareness of the harbour as a community resource. The harbour redevelopment has many strands and includes both a citizen science project to monitor biodiversity in the area and a monthly market.

The work is very different to Olena’s previous job in Ukraine, where she worked at the Finnish embassy in Kiev.

When Olena and her family arrived in Annan, she was determined to do something that helped the community and used her skills in some way. She said, “the job is so interesting for me, the job is meaningful.”

Olena leads the ‘Adapting to Change’ project, which looks at the various ways our local natural environment is altered by climate change through the lens of citizen science. She works with many volunteers who test the quality of the Annan River each month, by checking the wellbeing of invertebrate species that live there. Olena is very passionate about her work. She said ‘The citizen science project is such a meaningful way to engage with the local community while addressing climate change’s impact on our natural environment. We don’t just look at Mayfly larvae to assess the health of the Annan River – we monitor eight types of invertebrates, including caddies, water shrimps, stoneflies, olives, and flat-bodied species. Each tells us something about the river’s ecosystem.’

Olena finds that volunteers volunteer more eagerly when they see the benefit of something. Everyone who goes out with her to assess the biodiversity derives wellbeing benefits from being in natural spaces. Volunteers also learn new skills in nature.

Joy and tears at the ESOL Winter Celebration

Happy faces were everywhere in StGeorge’s Church Hall, Dumfries, on 13 December 2024.

The ESOL Winter Celebration gave learners the opportunity to receive their British Council certificates and meet with their tutors and other learners informally.

Iryna Figol, Lifelong Learning Coordinator based at The Bridge in Dumfries, congratulated all learners for reaching ‘new heights in their learning journey in Dumfries and Galloway. You have taken on a challenge and you have worked with strength and determination.’

The event included the choir from Loreburn Primary School, who delighted everyone with their lively singing of favourites such as Jingle Bells, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer and Away in a Manger. So many of the learners have young children of their own and the choir clearly touched many hearts.

The levels of achievement ranged from foundation to advanced. As I watched the learners receive their certificates, I thought about the personal upheaval and trauma that so many of them had faced. The emotional journey of so many of them showed in the tears and the joy on their faces.

Ann McShane, team leader for the Lifelong Learning Service, spoke of the enormous pride that she and her team of tutors felt for the achievements of their learners. On behalf of the Resettlement Board, Jan Hastie offered a ‘heartfelt welcome to Dumfries and Galloway’ and said, ‘we are privileged that you are here.’

The ESOL tutors were thanked for their commitment by Iryna Figol, who said ‘their passion has inspired their learners.’

The Winter Celebration was a time of reflection, celebration and ambition. Then newsletter looks forward to hearing about more successes in the future.

Sharon tells us about citizenship ceremonies

Sharon Moore conducts citizenship ceremonies in Dumfries for Dumfries and Galloway Council. She tells us more about her job and how the ceremonies work. 

‘I started with the council in 20^th June 2005 in Sanquhar as a Customer Service Advisor. In August 2015 I became a Customer Service Advisor, Registration and this is when I took the role of doing the administration side of the Citizenship Ceremonies for Dumfries and Galloway and conducting the ceremonies.

The citizenship ceremonies are conducted in Stranraer, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Annan depending on where the Citizen lives.

The Lord Lieutenants who representant the King at the ceremonies are Lord Lieutenant Fiona Armstrong for Dumfries, Matthew Murray Kennedy St Clair for the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Aileen Brewis for Wigtown. Within these areas there are numerous deputy and vice lieutenants who will be available if the Lord Lieutenant’s can’t make it due to other commitments.

Over the years I have conducted 133 ceremonies bringing 335 New Citizens from 55 different countries into British Citizenship.

During Covid, the Citizenship Ceremonies still went ahead which was good as I was working from home and it was done through Teams. I had the photo of the queen and the flags as part of my background and the citizens could invite their families from wide and far to join us as part of the ceremony

The Home Office will send through their naturalisation certificates with their full name, name at birth if different, date of birth and place and country of birth.

When I receive their certificate through, they will also receive an invitation letter from the Home Office to get in touch with myself to arrange their ceremony.

At the ceremony there will be myself, the lord lieutenant or one of her deputies, the new citizens and their families and the local authority councillor for the ward that the citizen lives in. It is a very important day for them and can be overwhelming for them. Some have waited and lived in the UK for years and it can be a lengthy process for them.

Once the ceremony is over I will then contact the Home Office and let them know that they have had their ceremony. I also notify the Electoral Registration Service and give them the details of the new citizens who can now vote in all elections.’

 New deadline for eVisas: 31 March 2025

The UK government has postponed the full transition to eVisas to at least 31 March 2025 due to concerns about potential disruption for people proving their immigration status.

However, you should move to an eVisa as soon as possible. Home Office statistics show that over 3 million people have now made the switch from using physical immigration documents to an eVisa.

To help ensure a smooth transition to eVisas, airlines and other carriers will be able to accept Biometric Residence Permits expiring on 31 December 2024 or later as evidence of permission to travel to the UK, provisionally until 31 March 2025. This will be kept under review. Passengers will remain subject to the usual immigration checks and requirements, and anyone seeking to enter the UK whose underlying immigration status has expired will be liable for refusal of entry.  

It is free and straightforward to switch to an eVisa, which offers greater convenience. An eVisa cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with, and allows visa holders to instantly and securely prove their immigration rights. Switching won’t change, impact or remove someone’s current rights or immigration status.

‘There’s nothing that would make me want to stop.’ Christine talks about laptops and charity.

Christine is certainly organised. When I first met her, she quickly pulled printed facts and figures to explain what she does. The numbers told me that she has given away 50 laptops to asylum seekers who are awaiting decisions on their right to remain applications at the Mercure Hotel.

‘It’s about enrichment. I didn’t want the young men at the hotel to stop learning.’ Christine explained that she purchases a lot of the laptops herself while others are donated from other sources. I asked her to tell me more about what she does.

Christine had worked in I.T. before her retirement, but she soon became involved with charity work at both a foodbank and at MOOL. While she volunteered at MOOL, Christine visited the Mercure Hotel and met some of the young men living there. She was very struck by the way many of them were still completing studies for courses they had begun in their departure countries and others were attempting to learn English with the help of mobile phones only. Christine decided to act and planned with her husband the best way that she could help. She purchased two used laptops and refurbished them for use. Donations came from other sources and there began a steady supply of laptops going to everyone at the Mercure.

I wanted to know a little more about Christine’s motivators. Afterall, she is giving both time but also her own money to the exercise. She thought for a moment before answering. ‘My mother was involved in charity work as I grew up so I’ve always known it makes a difference… Now there are no barriers to me helping, why wouldn’t I?’ Christine also identifies with the situation faced by the asylum seekers. Her father had come to the UK from Poland during the war and Christine reflected that he had been in effect seeking asylum himself.

Christine now volunteers at DGMA in Dumfries and the young men come there to check when they will get their laptop. It can be a bit challenging to arrange the collection of the finished devices as sometimes the men can be moved to new accommodation at short notice.

The donated laptops can be challenging as many parts are rather old and need replaced. Often, they are low on memory which must be upgraded. At least 8GB of memory is needed to run programs like Teams which enable the users to engage with online learning or talking to their distant relatives. Christine has a good relationship with a local small computer company and has negotiated an excellent deal on refurbished machines because she buys so many. Christine explained that she is not rich, but she has enough money for her needs. 

For Christine, the greatest reward for her commitment is the delight she sees in the recipients of her generosity. She frequently receives a hug in return for a laptop. She is in no doubt that she will continue, while there is a need

Updates from the New Scots Activity Fund

Thirty-two projects across Dumfries and Galloway are sharing £21,910 of funding through the New Scots Activity Fund.

The pilot of the New Scots Activity Fund saw 37 applications apply for around £25,000 all of which were aimed at promoting culture, inclusion, and integration across the region.

A dedicated group of volunteers decided on the successful applications. They were recruited from every locality of Dumfries and Galloway to represent every Resettlement Scheme and worked alongside staff from the Community Resettlement Team and Scottish Refugee Council.

Amongst the successful applications were projects that would establish women’s only fitness classes, a series of information sessions for those seeking asylum, international cooking taster sessions, an ESOL book lending library and much more. Full details of the successful applications will be listed on the New Scots DG Website in the New Year, alongside information about how to get involved in the projects.

For more information about the New Scots Activity Fund please email newscotsactivityfund@tsdg.org.uk.

Do you have any news to share?

If you have any news or events you want to share with the Resettlement Newsletter, then get in touch with some details and we will be in touch. 

Email us at ResettlementProject@dumgal.gov.uk

The next Resettlement Newsletter will be published on 24 January 2025