‘WE HAD JUST FOUR DAYS TO PREPARE FOR THEIR ARRIVAL’

Basma Gale, 41, is a holistic health coach and lives in Canterbury with her husband Tom, 41, their children, eight and six, and a Ukrainian family of four.

When my father-inlaw, an MP, called us from Calais this month, I wasn’t prepared when he asked if we could take in a family of four. The Ukrainian family were fleeing their home city of Lviv, where the bombs and bullets of the Russian Army had rained down around them.

My husband of 20 years Tom, 41, and I discussed it very briefly, but he didn’t need any convincing.

Growing up, his family had constantly opened their home to refugees fleeing war-torn countries, and he knew it was time for his own family to do the same.

Our daughter, eight, and son, six, were onboard as well. Valuing openness and honesty, I’d discussed with them the situation in Ukraine, and had told them how fortunate and privileged they were to live in safety, with warmth and food.

Making room

Luckily, we had the space to spare in our home. Clearing out our studyslash-playroom, we created a separate living room for the family and gave our spare room, where they’d sleep, a spruceup. It was important to me that they felt comfortable and would see our house as a home.

It took four days for the family to be processed. Briefly, I worried about rushing to the shops and buying clothes and toys but quickly reminded myself that I didn’t know what they needed – or even what they liked – so I was better off waiting.

The Saturday morning before their arrival, we were out at our local village hall, running a fundraising stall for the baby and toddlers group, before the kids had theatre school later on. There wasn’t time to worry or panic; we just carried on.

Later, I didn’t know what to expect.

I told the kids not to worry if the children didn’t want to play straight away. I had no idea how much English the family would speak or whether they’d be too traumatised from their experience to interact with us at all.

But as soon as they arrived, within minutes, all four kids – they too having a daughter and son – were running around, giggling, playing and having pillow fights. It was as if they’d known each other forever, as if they were cousins.

The father of the family explained that he’d worked in the UK before, specifically in London, and he knew the country well, plus his English was incredible. His wife and children didn’t speak any but my kids didn’t seem to notice.

‘Soon, the kids were all playing’