Meet the super-hosts: Hundreds of Ukrainians supported by individual British families
24 February 2023, 17:42 | Updated: 24 February 2023, 17:48
More than 160,000 Ukrainians have made the UK their temporary home since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country began – but some families have gone above and beyond, helping hundreds of people move across Europe to the UK.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
LBC has been speaking to some of the people who have supported large groups of Ukrainians through the government’s visa programmes.
Derek Edwards
Derek Edwards, from Milton Keynes, set up a dedicated Homes for Ukraine charity to help support the process of Ukrainian refugees leaving the war-torn country and getting to the UK.
So far, his team has helped more than 500 people to make the trip, work their way through the visa application process and get them set up with accommodation before supporting them to adapt to life in the UK.
Derek said: “We’ve helped people get visas, helped to rehouse people who’ve come to the end of hosting arrangements and the number also includes 30 people whose lives we’ve saved with an ambulance we sent into the country.
“We’re the guarantor, we pay the deposit, and we pay three months’ rent up front. Slowly that money will feed back into us if the Ukrainian is on a good income or through housing benefits.
“Our plan is to carry on for three years until we repatriate these people or if they want to assimilate into British society, we’ll look at what we can do then.”
Read more: Ukraine leader Zelensky defiant on anniversary of Russian invasion
Simone Schehtman
Simone, from Birmingham, has supported more than 415 people to move in with host families in the West Midlands, and has had nine refugees staying in her own home over the past year.
She said: “I’m chair of governors at a school and some of my fellow governors had contacts in Ukraine so it became a bit of a referral scheme, of people who were really keen to escape to the UK.
“I married people up to host families based on their circumstances and needs and have supported them in adapting to life in the UK – paying bills, learning English.
“We’re a year in and there are now people standing on their own two feet and it feels immense knowing I’ve played a part in that.
“There are still people coming across, people desperate to come across, but the only restricting factor is a lack of hosts – we need more hosts.”
Andrew Peers
Andrew Peers said he felt connected to the war in Ukraine when it began after playing a simulator game that mapped out what an invasion by Russia would look like.
He immediately sponsored more than a dozen Ukrainians to come over to Buckinghamshire, where they stayed with him, his family members, and friends. Over the past year, he says he’s individually sponsored 33 people, with the latest group of ten arriving this month.
Andrew said: “Using contacts, groups, friends, and family they’ve really supported me to be able to do a little bit more than just take in one family and keep one family. I wanted to help more people that were in danger on the front-line, reach more people.
“Officially I’ve sponsored 33 people but unofficially I’ve helped quite a few more – I’ve been speaking to a lot of people online or on the phone to them every day to help give them the mental strength to relocate.
“When they’re stuck in the basements, or hiding or are in real danger, I’m just trying to give them the extra boost to help bring them to the UK.”
