A Derbyshire couple have spoken of their experience of hosting a Ukrainian family to encourage more people to come forward and open up their home to help.
Hearing in the news about the plight of people in Ukraine following the Russian invasion inspired Sarah Green and her husband Neil, along with their 10-year-old son James, to offer a home for refugees through the Government’s Home for Ukraine scheme.
“I couldn’t imagine what it must be like in their shoes,” said Sarah. “We had the space and we all thought it was something we could do. We wanted to help.”
Sarah admits she found the visa process long and frustrating, but eventually they took in a young mum, Olga*, and her son Andriy*, 11, who were fleeing a city called Ternopil in Ukraine, to live on their farm near Matlock. She organised beds and wardrobes for her spare room and welcomed them to the farm in May 2022. Sarah also sorted clothes for them as the pair arrived with only a bag and a rucksack.
“It was a big culture shock for them, to come from a city and move to a farm in the countryside,” said Sarah. “They were in a totally new place, miles from home and everything they’d known. And Andriy had had to leave his dad behind. It must have been difficult for them.”
Andriy had never ridden on a quad bike or motorbike before and had great fun around the farm. Olga helped Sarah by looking after lambs while she was away – she’d never looked after animals before but did a great job. Sarah describes her as “really lovely”.
Sarah helped her guests register with a local GP, dentist and arrange a school place at a local primary school, who “were brilliant” and later a secondary school place which proved more difficult, as Andriy was assigned a school two bus rides away. But Sarah persevered, appealed and managed to get him into the local school. “They were great – arranging uniform, equipment and books,” said Sarah.
Olga also needed help to set up a bank account, national insurance number, BRP (biometric residency permit), Universal Credit, then a CV, car and job.
Sarah said the resettlement team at Derbyshire County Council do a good job and she and Neil got invaluable support from other local sponsors.
Sarah said: “We’ve also had a lot of support from the local Church in the Peak with food and clothing, and Amber Valley Rotary Club helped arrange SIM cards so all guests had a UK phone number”. Olga’s sister and partner also found refuge locally.
“Palin’s Fruit and Veg have been really good, providing jobs, lending vans for moving things. Another local firm gave Olga a job in their kitchen and she cried when they gave her a contract. Ukrainians are a proud people and want to work to support themselves.
Sarah added that here’s great mutual support on Facebook and WhatsApp, joining groups with other host families which has been a real help. Hosts are given financial assistance – £500 a month – but aside from the financial costs Sarah says hosts need to be able to commit a lot of their time to helping their guests, so all the support available is really appreciated.
With mum having a job and a car, and Andriy settling down at school, the pair made friends locally. Eventually they were joined by Olga’s husband Ivan* in July 2022, who was able to come to the UK too after medical discharge from active service. So Sarah again rearranged her home to welcome him too, converting her lounge into another bedroom.
The family moved on at Christmas and Sarah is preparing to open her home again to another refugee from Ukraine in July.
Sarah’s advice to aspiring hosts is to check the prospective guests carefully, to make sure they’re compatible, and to arrange the visas themselves, so they’re in control of the situation. Guests can be spoken to via phone and video chat using translation apps before an offer is made.
“It’s been a really positive experience for us as a family. We’ve all learned about sharing, being tolerant, and helping each other,” she said.
“Even though the process has its difficulties, it hasn’t put us off. We’d say to anyone, if you have a spare room we would definitely recommend it.”
Derbyshire County Council is working with partners including local district and borough councils and a range of other public sector agencies and charitable organisations to support Ukrainian hosts and their guests.
Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Barry Lewis said: “I’d like to personally thank Sarah and her family along with every other Derbyshire household which selflessly opened up their home to Ukrainians in need of a place to stay.
“Sadly, the war is far from over, which is why we need more hosts to come forward while we work with other local organisations to support Ukrainian guests as they become established in the community.
“If you have room in your home and compassion in your heart then I’d urge you to please come forward and email UkraineHosts@derbyshire.gov.uk”
* Names have been changed to protect their identity.
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