Late November is a good time to begin thinking about Christmas and what better way to enter the season than with a trip to Oxford, its Colleges, museums and markets.

Despite it being the wettest weekend in the month we had warm drinks to welcome us and good spirits as we explored what Oxford had to offer.

With amazing generosity and great attendance, we raised over £900 from another one of our engaging quiz nights.

Supported by Kabab Ji Syrian Cuisine, it was a wonderful evening of feasting and fun.

A moving film about the impact of war on the cultural life of Ukraine was shown in Motcombe Memorial Hall.

The film was followed by a discussion about its impact on the audience, and how the war has changed the cultural life of Ukraine.

This is a good news item by Oleksandr and Galyna who have been volunteering in their community.

Це гарна новина від Олександра та Галини, які займаються волонтерством у своїй громаді.

A connection has been made between Shaftesbury Abbey, Museum and Gardens and the Ukrainian community here and in Ukraine.

Hurdles have arrived from the Ukraine to add screens to the garden and a local woman has translated the Abbey guide into Ukrainian. Путівник по абатству Шафтсбері

Ми отримали чудову пропозицію від Джордани Вакелін, шановного вчителя йоги, провести 10 занять максимум для 8 осіб за дивовижною ціною £7 за сеанс.

Зазвичай заняття коштують 15 фунтів стерлінгів, але Джордана зменшила свою плату, і Shaftesbury Refugee Group додасть цю знижку, щоб зробити заняття доступними.

We have had a wonderful offer from Jordana Wakelin, a respected yoga teacher, to provide 10 classes for up to 8 people at the significantly, discounted price of £7 per session.

Starting Thursday 10th October

This course, by Fran Quinlan, offers participants a toolkit for self-practice to deal with the stresses and anxieties that occur in daily lives. It will explore concentration meditation techniques and every day themes such as physical pain, anxiety, role and emotional stress and learn some movement exercises for boosting physical and mental health.

Починаючи з четверга, 10 жовтня

Цей курс Френ Квінлан пропонує учасникам набір інструментів для самостійної практики, щоб справлятися зі стресами та тривогами, які виникають у повсякденному житті. Він вивчатиме методи медитації концентрації та повсякденні теми, такі як фізичний біль, тривога, роль і емоційний стрес, а також вивчатиме деякі рухові вправи для зміцнення фізичного та психічного здоров’я.

We want to bring to your attention a generous offer to find a place to make and mend, to sew and meet up. The Sewing Barn at Stour Provost has many opportunities that would make a difference to you and to our planet.

Хочемо представити вашій увазі щедру пропозицію знайти місце для пошиття та ремонту, пошиття та зустрічі. The Sewing Barn у Stour Provost має багато можливостей, які могли б змінити ситуацію як для вас, так і для нашої планети.

Thanks to the organisers of Semley Music Festival who provided 20 passes for displaced people to attend this year’s event on 5th and 6th July.

See the video of the event with a superb soundtrack from Kima Otung

If you are a displaced person going onto Higher Education for the first time, you can apply for a small grant to help with the additional, initial costs of travel and study.

24th August is an important day for Ukrainian people to gather under the flag of their independent nation.

Celebrated this year in Gillingham at the social club.

The summer schools at Port Regis returned at the end of July for 5 weeks. Made possible because of the kindness of English Country Schools and Port Regis we were able to provide a week or more of summer school. Each day was a mix of English lessons, physical and social activities with up to 100 international students. A chance to be part of the wider world and to be taught by excellent tutors.

What a wonderful two days these were, despite the flurry of rain showers.

Thanks to the kindness of the show organisers the days were enjoyed by 17 displaced people from Ukraine. This contact with a rural life was both interesting and reassuring for the young and old alike.

The kindness of our North Dorset community is a thing to celebrate.

Each year we hold a public meeting where we can reflect on our work in the previous year and consider the questions and comments of the people who are interested in that work. It’s a chance to look at our finances and see how they might be used in the future.

On Saturday 13th July we travelled as far South as we could to meet friends in Weymouth and visit the wonders of the Jurassic Coast. Hosted by Maryna Dovbysh and carried by Vale Coaches we were blessed with ideal weather and wonderful company.

A joyous day of friendship and community.

Neurographics is an art therapy which a Ukrainian guest recommended for her peers.

We were happy to support a trial and to help people participate in what was a relaxing and enjoyable event at the Friends Meeting House in Shaftesbury .

Ivan Kupalo is a celebration of St John’s Day close to the Summer Solstice. For the first time in Ukraine the day was celebrated in June.

We were delighted to enjoy a peaceful and joyous picnic evening on the 21st, with the traditional wreaths of flowers donated by Sprout and Flower of Mere.

At last The Spring and Countryside Show could go ahead and thankfully under dry skies. Plenty of things to see and to try for the local guests who were invited by the Show Organisers to enjoy the Show.

One of our great pleasures is to run regular quizzes where we can showcase the skill and food culture of our friends from Syria. On June 8th we had another feast of Syrian food provided by The Hammouds’ Kitchen.

Refugee Week was a creative celebration of ‘Our Home’, the spaces and relationships we share, that bring safety, hope, belonging and inspiration to us all and especially the displaced people that we welcome in North Dorset.