Hastings Borough Council team up with two local businesses to provide support for Ukrainian and Arabic refugees looking to start or run a business in the UK

On Monday, February 27 and Tuesday, February 28 Hastings Borough Council alongside local Business Support Organisation Let’s Do Business Group and Chartered Accountants Ashdown Hurrey hosted two, two-hour workshops specifically for Ukrainian refugees and Arabic speaking refugees.Hosted at the Hastings Borough Council Offices in Muriel Matters House, on Hastings seafront, these workshops focussed on opening up business support provisions to non-English speaking communities, providing information and skills on the financial elements of running a business such as tax returns and self-assessment to support refugees looking to utilise their knowledge and skills and turn them into a business.

More than 1,227 Ukraine refugees are now being hosted in East Sussex, and many are now thinking about the future and how to transfer their skills into an income within the UK.

Councillor Maya Evans, Deputy Leader of Hastings Borough Council and Lead Councillor for housing and community development said: “These workshops were a great opportunity to help offer advice and support to our refugee community, giving them the knowledge they need to be able to run their own businesses. As a town of sanctuary we pride ourselves on offering help and support to everyone fleeing war and persecution, we very much welcome the new skills and energies our refugee community brings to our diverse and culturally rich town. I am looking forward to seeing some of them and their businesses in the future and hope this helps them settle in our town.”