Ukrainians arriving in North West Leicestershire

Welcome to North West Leicestershire

British government advice - A guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK

British Red Cross advice - Help for Ukrainian nationals 

Living in North West Leicestershire

Free events and activities

Ukrainian Families Summer of Wellbeing at Coalville Library, LE67 3EA on Tuesday 26 July, 2 and 9 August. 1pm to 2.30pm. 

Ukraine refugee summer activities - Go Learn (PDF Document, 0.32 Mb)

Lots of fun activities going on for the whole family. Book your family a place to play games, enjoy craft activities and a picnic in a local park. To book please ring GoLearn FREEphone 0800 988 0308 with course code 21SN127P.

NHS services

The NHS has produced advice for Ukrainian refugees in the UK on how to access NHS services.

Services include:

• Teeth and eyecare with dentists and opticians
• Pharmacies for medicines and clinical advice for minor conditions
• GP services
• Emergency treatment

The following posters of further information are available in Ukrainian, English and Russian. 

• How the NHS works infographic Ukrainian (PDF Document, 0.46 Mb)
• How the NHS works infographic English (PDF Document, 0.57 Mb)
• How the NHS works infographic Russian (PDF Document, 0.46 Mb)

SIM cards and phones

Refugease has teamed up with Vodafone to offer free SIM cards to Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK.

• The SIM cards are pre-loaded and each come with 20GB data each month plus unlimited calls and texts for a period of six months
• Any Ukrainian citizen arriving in the UK via the government’s resettlement scheme is eligible
• You can apply for your own SIM, or hosts can do it on your behalf
• Applications will only be processed for those with completed visa applications.

Full details, including the application process, can be found on the Refugease website.

BT, EE and O2 have also made all calls, text and data to and from Ukraine free, and have removed roaming charges if they apply. Check with the phone provider for more information.

Travel and transport

Full details of public transport across Leicestershire are available at www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/public-transport.  

Leicestershire County Council is offering a one-off £65 travel grant to each guest using the Homes for Ukraine Scheme for use towards transport. Apply for the grant.

For any other enquiries about transport support in Leicestershire please contact UkraineTransport@leics.gov.uk.

Train

There are no train stations in North West Leicestershire. The nearest stations are:

• Loughborough
• East Midlands Parkway
• Long Eaton
• Burton upon Trent
• Tamworth
• Atherstone

Bus

The Skylink bus service to Nottingham and Loughborough stops in Coalville and East Midlands Airport. 

Find out about community transport covering Coalville and Castle Donington areas.

Arriva UK is offering a free three-month travel card for Ukrainian guests. The cards are valid for travel in Leicester, Leicestershire and part of Derbyshire. For more information and to apply (passport details will be requested) contact Arriva Customer Services viat email are customerservice@arriva.co.uk or call 0344 800 4411 (Mon - Fri, 8.00am - 5.00pm).

Taxi

Our licensing team monitors all taxis operating in the district. Always make sure you use a licensed private hire or hackney carriage which has a plate on the back.

Try to book taxis in advance where possible, and agree a fair in advance for private hire. Hackney carriages will run on a metre.

For concerns about taxis contact us.

Leisure Centres

Our leisure centre partner, Everyone Active, is offering Ukrainian refugees free 12 month membership for its leisure centres, including Ashby Leisure Centre and Lido and Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre in the district. 

Work and money

The British Government advice for Ukrainians arriving in the UK includes details about working and how to claim benefits.

If you arrived in the UK in the last 14 days, you can apply to the British Red Cross for a one-off £50 pre-paid visa card to help you while other funding is issued. Cards are sent on the day of application. Apply for cash support from the Red Cross National Support Line on 0808 196 3651 – open daily 10am to 6pm.

A £200 payment towards your costs is also available from Leicestershire County Council. Payment is given on a pre-paid card once you have arrived with your host.

In North West Leicestershire the Job Centre is in Coalville. Contact the Job Centre on 0800 169 0190 or visit the office at Crown House, Whitwick Road, Coalville, LE67 3FB. As well as providing employment advice, they can also help with claims for Jobseeker's Allowance and other benefits.

Adult education

Leicestershire County Council can help with free English language courses as well as other courses for adults.

Learn more about free Free English language classes for Ukraine - Go Learn (PDF Document, 0.73 Mb).

Banking

• Royal Bank of Scotland www.rbs.co.uk/ukraine-refugees.html
• Lloyds Bank www.lloydsbank.com/help-guidance/ukraine-support.html
• HSBC www.hsbc.co.uk/ukraine-appeal/
• Santander www.santander.co.uk/personal/ukraine-support

Schools

If you have children between 4 and 16 years you can apply for a school place online through the Leicestershire County Council website.

If you would like speak to the County Council about school places please call 0116 305 6684.

More information about schools and places.

Reset - matching and training service for sponsors and refugees

Reset has launched a matching and training service to help pair sponsors and refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Experts in safeguarding help assess sponsors and refugees to make sure matches are suitable.

Reset will also offer training, drawing on expertise from Refugees at Home, for sponsors, councils and community groups. More information about Reset.