Exeter café helps hundreds of displaced Ukrainians

The Conversation Café was set up in Exeter a month after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine

A hub set up in Devon to welcome displaced Ukrainians has so far helped nearly 1,000 people in the last year, staff say.

The Conversation Café was set up in Exeter a month after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Staff say the café has since had about 7,000 visits and helped many Ukrainian refugees - mostly women and children.

Olena Nosyk said the café had been "vital" since she and her family arrived in Devon from Ukraine.

Ms Nosyk said the café had "saved lives"

She said: "It was really important to have a place where you can come and to receive answers to all your questions.

"When you arrive, you don't know how it will be, what to do, where to run, you know nothing."

The Conversation Café is run by the Devon Ukrainian Association, an organisation created by and for Ukrainians.

Olya Petrakova, from the association, said: "Essentially when they arrived, we helped them with simple questions such as getting their telephone, getting the sim card, opening a bank account, understanding how they can apply for universal credit, English language classes, where they can take those."

Ms Nosyk said she believed the café had "saved lives".

She added that it had proved to be a great boost for her and others who had fled Ukraine.

"It really was very important to me to have such help in the beginning of my life in Great Britain," she said.