Tayvallich opens arms to young Ukrainian family
‘We have had so much support from the local community, it has been amazing’
A Tayvallich family is about to welcome three Ukrainians seeking refuge following the Russian invasion of their country.
Sarah Phizacklea and Charlie Silverton have invited a mother and her two children to live with them at their Taynish home after they were forced to flee their native city of Kharkiv.
The families were put in touch via a website matching hosts with Ukrainians seeking temporary housing, and visas were arranged through the UK Government Homes for Ukraine scheme.
‘In such a hopeless situation we just feel glad to be able to do something to help,’ explained Sarah.
‘It is a nightmare for this family. The woman who is coming to stay with us is having to leave her parents who are hiding in a basement and her partner who is fighting with the Ukrainian army.’
The woman, along with her 12-year-old and two-year-old sons, made the hazardous journey from Kharkiv to Krakow in Poland where she has been arranging the necessary paperwork to travel to the UK, a task which has proven difficult due to her younger child not having a passport.
‘The two-year-old only had a birth certificate and that had to be translated before they could get the visa applications completed,’ Sarah added, ‘but the paperwork has all been sorted now and hopefully they will soon be on a flight from Krakow to Glasgow.’
Sarah and Charlie’s children, four-year-old Lily and Robin, nine, are looking forward to the new arrivals.
‘Robin was delighted to hear that the older son is a fellow Lego fan and has said he will give him half of his stash,’ Sarah said.
Robin’s generosity has been reflected throughout the community with neighbours, friends and family rallying around to prepare the family home for the new arrivals.
Sarah added: ‘We have had so much support from the local community, it has been amazing.
‘We are putting in a kitchenette for them so they can have their own space and doing up the annexe to make it homely.
‘Friends and neighbours have sewn curtains, donated household and kitchen items as well as toys and equipment for the toddler. Also, my dad is a plumber and has got the shower up and running for them.’
Though initially cautious about the system set up to link host families and potential guests, Sarah has been reassured by a number of messages, phone calls and video chats she has had with the Ukrainian mother.
‘We have a real connection and an awful lot in common,’ she explained. ‘I know things will be difficult at times as the family have been through so much, but I hope that coming to somewhere as lovely as Tayvallich will feel like a holiday for them, at least initially.
‘I think we will work out some home-schooling for the elder boy until the summer and look into high school the following term if they are still with us.’