Meet the kind-hearted Mail readers ready to give sanctuary to Ukrainians fleeing war after Michael Gove says MILLIONS of Britons could be willing to accept refugees with £350-a-month government ‘thank you’
- Mail readers are opening their homes and taking in displaced victims of the war
- Men aged between 18 and 60 were made to stay behind to fight Russian troops
- More than two million Ukrainians, including a million children, escaped so far
Heart-breaking images of stunned mothers and bewildered children bombed out of their homes have galvanised Daily Mail readers into action.
Scores have offered a haven in their homes to refugees fleeing the terror of warfare in Ukraine.
Such selflessness is being repeated up and down the country as Mail readers decide they can no longer simply sit back and watch the horrific conflict unfold without doing their bit.
Emails from people across the UK have flooded in, asking what they can do to help Ukrainians who are desperate to find somewhere safe to stay.
The Government is due to announce today the start of a scheme aiming to match fleeing Ukrainians with generous Britons who are willing to offer them a spare room.
Dominique Johnson, 48, said: ‘I have two spare rooms. The best way I could help personally would be to offer accommodation.’ The part-time carer added: ‘Ultimately, it could be us one day’
The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE APPEAL
Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis.
Calling upon that human spirit, we are now launching an appeal to raise money for refugees from Ukraine.
For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families – mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly – fleeing from Russia’s invading armed forces.
As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support.
All donations to the Mail Ukraine Appeal will be distributed to charities and aid organisations providing such essential services.
In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously.
TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE
Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate
To add Gift Aid to a donation – even one already made – complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine
Via bank transfer, please use these details:
Account name: Mail Force Charity
Account number: 48867365
Sort code: 60-00-01
TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE
Make your cheque payable to ‘Mail Force’ and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY
TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US
US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003
During the past fortnight, Ukrainian families have been forced to make tearful farewells as they are torn apart by war – with men aged between 18 and 60 made to stay behind to fight Russia’s invading army.
More than two million Ukrainians, including a million children, have escaped so far.
Here we highlight the stories of just a few of the Mail readers who are opening their homes and taking in displaced victims of the fighting:
Part-time carer
Dominique Johnson, 48, said: ‘I have two spare rooms. The best way I could help personally would be to offer accommodation.’
The part-time carer added: ‘Ultimately, it could be us one day.’
Miss Johnson, from Southend-on-Sea in Essex, said it did not matter whether anyone she takes in speaks English, adding: ‘You don’t have to know someone’s language to empathise with them. As long as we can communicate.’
Describing the war as unnecessary, she said: ‘There’s so much doom and gloom in the world that you tend to start feeling like there’s no good people.
‘But in times of crisis like this, you do see the good in people, and that’s heart-warming.
‘If I can help others, that’s all I’m doing this for.
‘Sharing your home is a risk for all involved. That’s why it’s good to ask the important questions before making the final decision.
‘Put yourself in their shoes – it is going to be uncomfortable for them as well as yourself.’
Miss Johnson added: ‘There’s people out there who are freezing cold, and I just put myself in their shoes because that’s all I can do right now.’
Retired BBC producer
Jenny Clement, 81, said her ‘peaceful’ bungalow with three bedrooms and a fenced-in garden in which children can play could provide the perfect refuge for those fleeing the conflict.
The retired BBC radio producer said: ‘I’m not under a flight path so for any children, who I would be happy to have, there would be no terror at the sound of aircraft.’
Mrs Clement, of Surbiton, Surrey, has four children and eight grandchildren.
She added: ‘How can you not rush to get these women and children to a place of safety? Everybody should get involved, especially when there are children who have had the most horrendous experience.
‘Children who have been so frightened and terrified and puzzled will feel safe here. I couldn’t wish for anything more than to help these poor people through what they are enduring. This is what anyone would want, to escape the bombing.’
Jenny Clement, 81, said her ‘peaceful’ bungalow with three bedrooms and a fenced-in garden in which children can play could provide the perfect refuge for those fleeing the conflict
Civil servant
Thoughts of the mass evacuation of children from British cities during the Second World War was enough to inspire retired civil servant Mark Smith, 68, and his wife Angela, 67.
The couple, from Shrewsbury, who have been married for 45 years, are offering the spare rooms in their cottage.
Mrs Smith, who worked as a psychiatric nurse, said: ‘We’ve been watching the news and thought, “What can we do?”
‘Money’s been sent off – but that’s not enough. We’ve got so much and other people have absolutely nothing.
‘We want to help in any way we can. You only have to look at the Second World War and the children that were evacuated. People could do it then in the 1940s, and people haven’t changed, we’re still the same and we all have the same needs.’
Former policeman
Retired police officer David McCrone, who lives in Knutsford, Cheshire, following a 35-year career in London, Thames Valley and Manchester, offered two rooms.
The 73-year-old said: ‘My children told me to go for it. My daughter pointed out that her husband’s father was sent to Siberia as a child. He was born in Poland but his family were sent to Siberia.’
Mr McCrone added: ‘His aunt, who is now 95, marched back from Siberia and eventually ended up in the United Kingdom at the end of the Second World War.’
He came forward before the Government announced it could pay £350 a month to those who take in Ukrainians. He said he was determined to stick it out for the long run, insisting: ‘You’ve got to realise it’s not just for a long weekend or even a holiday period – it’s a long-term commitment.’
Retired police officer David McCrone, who lives in Knutsford, Cheshire, following a 35-year career in London, Thames Valley and Manchester, offered two rooms
Foster carers
Lesley Bednarek, 67, whose father-in-law is Polish, has four empty bedrooms at her home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.
She said: ‘It could so be us – my daughter, son or husband’s family in Poland. Why wouldn’t you help somebody who’s in trouble?’
She and her husband Anton, 71, worked as foster carers, but are now retired. She said they were used to children arriving at their home, adding: ‘My home is open. People need help now and want to be here tomorrow – not in two or three weeks.’
Pensioners
Terry Higgs, 76, and his wife Beryl Higgs-Light, 72, from Tavistock, Devon, have room for up to three people.
Mrs Higgs-Light, who worked as a nurse, said: ‘Where we live is a beautiful place in the country. It’s so peaceful it would be very restorative for people who have been through the trauma of the war.
‘It’s absolutely heart-breaking to see the news day after day.
‘We wanted to do something like welcoming refugees who have nowhere else to go and have lost their homes.’
She urged the Government to speed up the process of bringing refugees over, saying: ‘One thing we want to see is people being able to get here easily and not held up because of bureaucracy.’
Her husband, who worked as a contracts engineer, said he had experience of living in Russia that played a part in wanting to help, adding: ‘I was there when Yeltsin took over from Gorbachev. You could see how frightened the people were then and they must be the same now.’
Terry Higgs, 76, and his wife Beryl Higgs-Light, 72, from Tavistock, Devon, have room for up to three people
In offering refuge at his three-bedroom house in Fakenham, Norfolk, retired aircraft engineer Ken Jackson, 74, is trying something new.
Describing the invasion as ‘heart-breaking’, he said: ‘I’ve been thinking about this for a few days. Family and friends are thinking about getting involved, too.
‘It’s just the circumstances – these people are not a million miles away. I have sent some money, but that didn’t feel enough to me.’
Mr Jackson, who has three daughters, added: ‘I’m not doing it for any other reason than to help somebody.’
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