‘We’re educating each other about our cultures - they are introducing me to Ukrainian national dishes in exchange for some darts techniques!’
A HINCKLEY man has opened the doors of his house to a family from Ukraine.
Wayne Carlisle, IT director at Hinckley-based payment solutions firm Checkprint Limited, was moved when he heard about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and decided to make a difference.
He said: “When the government announced that anyone in the UK with a spare room can become a ‘sponsor’ as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, I knew that I had to help.
“Watching knowing that the daily news and more than 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes since Russia launched its invasion on Ukraine is terrifying.”
In March he applied to be considered for the scheme but ended up having to look for someone to sponsor.
Within minutes of posting an advert on a Ukrainian charity site, he had three families wanting to flee Ukraine.
The family Wayne is sponsoring consists of a mother, her son, Alexander, her daughter-in-law and two children aged three and 13.
He said: “All five were staying in a hospital room on the outskirts of Warsaw.
“Thankfully, Alexander can speak excellent English and between us we managed to complete their visa applications.
“The two women and children fled from Odessa to Warsaw via train and met up with Alexander.
“He works on a ship and could not fly back to Ukraine due to the war – his brother, who is father to the children, also works on a ship.”
They eventually got an invitation for a visa interview at the British embassy in Warsaw and were told it would be about seven days before they would know if they could travel to the UK.
Once they received the documentation it took nearly two days for them to travel to Leicester.
Wayne said: “We collected the family of five from Rugby railway station where all of their possessions – including a wheelchair and pushchair that they’d been gifted in Poland – managed to fit in two cars.
“They were all warmly welcomed by my friends and family and have gratefully received donations of clothes and toys for the children.
“The whole family have begun English lessons and are keen to find work while they are in the UK.
“We are educating each other about our cultures - they’re introducing me to Ukrainian national dishes in exchange for some darts techniques!
“I hope to make them feel as safe and welcome as I can while they’re staying here.”