A YORK couple who created a Facebook group to support Ukrainian refugees in York has welcomed their family into the city.
As previously reported in The Press, landlords Liz and Kevin Dunn set up a Facebook page, York Area Ukrainian Support Group, to help match Ukrainian refugees to host families in York, and to establish a support network once they arrived.
They have been supported by a pub, The Grapes Inn, Slingsby, who raised donations for the family - Alisa, her daughter Luiza, and her mother Maryna- to settle into their new life.
The Lazko family are now living in a rented home in York.
Liz said: "They are settling in well and loving York; they really like taking walks around the city, and the Walls, and old buildings.
“They are amazed at how friendly York is, they are blown away by the Ukrainian flags in shops and are taken aback at how kind and welcoming people are, and the charity concerts, choirs and other community functions.
“However they are putting on a brave face, they are still worried about their family in Ukraine, and they had to leave the dog behind – Luiza is only four and is missing her Dad and Grandad.”
The Grapes Inn pub, near Castle Howard, came up with the idea of raising donations to sponsor a Ukrainian family in the York area.
They want to encourage pubs across the country to do the same for a family in their local area, creating the ‘Pubs 4 Ukraine’ Facebook group.
Liz, Kevin, and the Lazko family, met landlady Catharine Spooner at the pub for a free meal and the handing over of the sponsorship money.
Catharine said: "It breaks our heart, as how do you start a new life when you had to leave with nothing?
"We wanted to support a family directly and to help out their hosts financially, and we are still collecting for them.
"They came for tea and we gave them the envelope of the donations, and we know it means an awful lot."
Kevin said: “Its been a process getting them here, a lot of wading through red tape, but we now feel like they’re our family and we will support them for as long as they need, they also want to look for work.
“We are enjoying sponsoring them, it has been very humbling, you watch the conflict on TV but its different hearing it first hand, we are developing a strong bond with them.”
The Dunn’s Facebook group now has 1,000 members of Ukrainian people, host families, City of York councillors, charities, and businesses, matching families and sharing support and useful information.
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