'Thank you for your warm welcome': Ukrainian refugee shares her experiences after arriving in Warwickshire

Since the scheme, started more than 500 Warwickshire residents have offered their homes and opened their hearts to people in need.

Zoya Chechulina is one of the Ukrainian refugees. She came to Warwickshire June 2022 with two of her children; her son Svyatoslav, 13 years old and her 16 year-old daughter Sofia.

They are the Ukrainian guests of Caroline and John from Henley-in-Arden who welcomed them under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Sharing her story, Zoya said: “As the war in Ukraine started, we had to make the difficult decision to leave our home, to secure a safe place for our younger children.

"My husband Viktor and my 20 year old son Dima, had to stay in Kyiv. My husband is in the military, and my son had to stay due to being of military age.

“My good friend and former colleague, Caroline, has been supportive since the war started. When the Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched by the UK government, I contacted Caroline and John to ask whether they would be happy to become our sponsors.

"They both agreed and I was grateful and incredibly happy.

“I still remember the warm welcome that John and Caroline gave us; they had decorated their home with Ukrainian flags, they gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and they got some lovely presents for my children. Moreover, they had prepared some lovely cards for all of us.

“The county is very nice. It is very calm, green and we have settled into our daily routine with work and studies.

“I want to thank UK for such amazing and powerful support to Ukraine on all levels - starting with the government, local authority, and all people we meet every day. We are blessed with Caroline and John who became our family here.”

Caroline and John, applied for the Homes for Ukraine scheme because they wanted to help people who were in a difficult and life-threatening situation.

Both are retired but busy in their local community getting involved in voluntary charitable work in areas that interest and concern them.

John said: “We had signed on to the scheme to explore the detail before we became aware of Zoya’s situation.

"We knew that there would be some dislocation of our lives but nothing to compare with issues many Ukrainians were facing.

“Zoya and I (John) are keen cooks interested in cuisine, so we have shared the cooking duties and at least the main meal most days.

"We have enjoyed Ukrainian food and we have introduced them to both traditional British food and the wider cuisine.”

John added: “We have had to make some small adjustments in our routines but overall have taken enormous positives from getting to know them learning about Ukraine and its culture.

"We have also had a positive reaction to our sponsorship from family, friends and anyone meeting their situations including lots of local businesses and clubs and of course local authority.”

For more information about the Home for Ukraine scheme go to: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/ukraine