Maksym’s impact

IT’S wonderful that – finally – families fleeing war in Ukraine are able to make new, albeit temporary in most cases, homes on North East soil.

Amongst the many refugees enjoying a warm welcome here is eight-year-old Maksym Kryshtafor, and he’s already made quite an impact on his hosts.

Through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, the youngster and his mum Iryna were matched with chess enthusiast Paul Townsend’s family who, within days of arriving, invited Maksym to take part in a local tournament.

Initially seeded 55 out of 58 players, the schoolboy turned out to be a bit of a prodigy, defeating every one of his opponents, and walking away with the £400 prize.

With two other major chess competitions on the horizon, it’s highly likely young Maksym will be making a name for himself in the region. And after the horrors he and his mum have escaped in their homeland, it’s a privilege that we can now call him one of our own.