This small East Sussex town is hosting more than 50 Ukranian refugees. There’s a pop-up café run by the local church, free English classes, and a Facebook group with 401 members sharing information. The secondary school now has 20 new Ukranian students.
Why are Crowborough residents so happy to help? Jonathan Lovett, who has two guests, a mother and young son, says people not only care about the suffering of others, but are tired of “the nastiness prevalent in the country- culture wars, Priti Patel, corruption etcetera- and they wanted to make a positive gesture to counter that nastiness”.
Andy Acason, who has welcomed a mother and young daughter with his wife, Reem, says : “You’ve got a lot of middle-class people, quite big houses, their own kids have grown up, plus they’re relatively news-savvy, up on world affairs…There is something about it being a war in Europe, in the 21st century, not thousands of miles away, but on our doorstep.”