BPA News Updates and information from the BPA team April events Parking Scotland the Scottish regional meeting will be held on 28 April at the Perth Concert Hall, from 10am-3pm. If you would like to attend, contact membership@britishparking.co.uk Head over to britishparking.co.uk/ Events for more details about future meetings and events. Support needed for Ukrainian refugees Please remember that the BPAs recent webinars including on the Parking (Code of Practice), moving traffic enforcement (MTE) and suicide prevention are available for members to watch again at britishparking.co.uk/ Past-Webinars More webinars on the Code and MTE are planned: see britishparking.co.uk/Webinars Anniversary Spectacular The BPAs Anniversary Spectacular was held just as Parking News went to print, on 23 March. Images of the celebrations will feature in the May issue. We would like to thank everyone who joined us to celebrate the BPAs belated 50th anniversary, said Caron Fassetta, director of membership and communications. It really was an amazing evening that allowed us to celebrate the past, while looking forward to all thats coming our way for the future of parking. Care with cake The BPA is pleased to be supporting its corporate charity Macmillan Cancer Support with a coffee morning for members on 25 April. Please join us at 10.30am, when well share a cuppa, have a chat and tell you more about the various fundraising activities we have planned for 2022. We are asking people to donate the cost of a cake to help Macmillan in its vital work just 32 can support the work of a Macmillan nurse for an hour, so please do get involved. Join at bit.ly/PNApr22Mac Swarcos chief technology officer, Tom Buck, a BPA mentor, is putting in place a network to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war find sanctuary with families in the UK. Part of the team I work with live and work in the Ukraine, Buck explained. With recent events, most have managed to find a safe place in the western part of the country and I am in daily contact with them. This has really brought home the situation to me. As someone who doesnt like to leave things to chance, and given the high probability that the UK government will allow Ukrainian citizens without family already here to come here, Im working to put a lifeline in place. This is particularly important, as the indication is that those who make the journey will be women with children, on their own. Buck is working to establish a network to connect those who decide they want to come to the UK with colleagues in Poland and Romania, who can then help them to get to the UK. He has already persuaded a small number of people to be first responders meeting and greeting people at the airport, and/or accommodating them for a short period of time. He has also contacted the Ukrainian Institute in London to get a contact list for members of the Ukrainian community in the UK who could take someone in as the last step in the chain, and help refugees find their feet. Knowing there is support and an opportunity to keep family safe is providing our Ukrainian colleagues and friends with the ability to stand firm, and to feel they have not been abandoned, Buck said. The journey for any refugee is frightening, uncertain and fraught with difficulty. I am hoping that this lifeline will never be needed, but, if it is, we will be in a position to help. We could also be the first industry sector to respond with a very real and public show of support in a time of need. If you know anyone who needs help finding a temporary family home until they can return to theirs, or if you feel you could offer support as a meet and greet first responder, help make connections, or just want to know more, please contact tomgbuck@hotmail.com or tom.buck@swarco.com 42 britishparking.co.uk PN Apr 2022 pp42-43 BPA News.indd 42 24/03/2022 11:10