Since Russian's military action displaced huge numbers of Ukrainians, families across Britain have welcomed refugees into their homes in a bid to help them as they flee their war-torn country.
Mum of three Nicole Ross with son Warren and daughter Lucy, Ukrainian mum Mila with son Nazar and daughter Tonya, and Nicole's daughter Taylor far right.
"My daughter moved in with her fiance last year so we had a spare room all set up which my dad uses when he comes to stay. I work part-time and volunteer but I work from home some of the time so I'm around a lot and could help someone settle in."Crouzieres, who also has a 17-year-old son, joined a Facebook group that puts people in touch with Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK and it was there that she met Liza, a 19-year-old desperate to flee Ukraine.
The family has worked to make their guest feel like part of the family - including celebrating her birthday when she recently turned 20. "For Liza's birthday we put up a huge banner in pink and bought her gifts that we thought she might find useful or appreciate - a hairdryer, a keyring, a burner for wax melts that she loves and a pineapple plant for her to care for.
"Sometimes we eat together, sometimes we don't. Some days I've come home and Liza has cooked dinner for all of us." Liza has also struggled at times - the Crouzieres' position on the flight path for planes coming in and out of London meant she woke up on her first few nights thinking she was back in Ukraine with Russian jets flying overhead.
Mary Rose, who is in her 60s, said the couple couldn't help but be moved by the situation in Ukraine, and had looked at the same website as her son and daughter-in-law to volunteer the use of space in their home to host two guests. Mary Rose, who works part-time, said hosting a family required time and patience, from the paperwork and logistics required to help them get to the UK to then getting them settled, showing them around, setting them up with mobile phones, registering them with doctors and dentists, and helping them look for work.The most time-consuming task was trying to get Sofiia - who suffered from leukaemia as a child so is a year behind in her studies - into school.
A woman with a child boards a train to Dnipro and Lviv during an evacuation effort from war-affected areas of eastern Ukraine, amid Russia's invasion of the country. The family have also invited other families who are hosting Ukrainians round so the groups can meet up. People have donated clothes and shoes, as well as money, and Mary Rose said one neighbour - who fled from Russia herself when she was a teen - had invited Irina and Sofiia over for dinner as well as taking them out to restaurants.
Like Crouzieres, Ross contacted Mila via Facebook after realising their children were of similar ages. She said:"I just can’t imagine having your whole life turned upside down overnight. I want to help them get settled, calm and comfortable and to start building a new normal for themselves. Meanwhile, children Tonya and Taylor spend time on TikTok together, while Nazar and Warren both like football.Ross said:"I think the kids were nervous at first but they’re excited about having new friends. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for them.
"Life’s definitely got busier and I’m having to be more organised! There’s a few more matches to go to at the weekends and a few more errands to do! Olya, 37, husband Vova Protsuik, 38, and their twins Dasha and Danya, both 15, and daughter Vira, six, fled from Ukraine to Poland to ensure Vira wouldn't have to go without her medicine for epilepsy, then the family later flew to Bristol where the sisters now live next door to each other.
She said her sister's family are already settling in, having their own space as well as the comfort of family nearby. Starkova, 37, fled Ukraine with her family, moving into a house in Cambridgeshire in March, and quickly found work as a beautician.
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