Ukrainian exiles thank Hartlepool as they prepare for first Christmas in town since Russian conflict

Iryna Tykhonenko has not seen her husband, Vitalii, for more than eight months.

A meeting back in October could not take place after a fresh round of Russian air strikes hit Ukraine and Iryna says Vitalii is in a dark house with no electricity.

"He worries that his son may not remember him,” the mum-of-two said.

"He says he feels lonely and wants to be with the family, but he’s ready to sacrifice this for safety.

"We try to support each other, we say we’ll do this, we’ll meet soon, but this soon is never mentioned as a time frame unfortunately.”

With Christmas and New Year around the corner, there is a mixture of sadness for home but also gratitude for the “town of the people with golden hearts”, as Iryna describes Hartlepool.

The 38 year old arrived in the town back in June with children Solomiia, seven, and Mark, two.

For the past couple of months they have been renting their own place in Hartlepool and Iryna is looking to start a job after realising the war may not be over soon.

David Dickinson, 44, who initially hosted them with wife Kate, 37, says they have become like a family and their daughter Daisy, seven, and Solomiia are like sisters.

Iryna added: "We already had two birthdays, Easter, now Christmas away. This is really sad, but Kate’s family do anything for me, so I don’t feel like I’m on my own.”

"This war taught us not to make plans.”

Before the war started, Iryna was an English teacher back in Ukraine.

But as she was woken up by explosions going off near her home in Bila Tserkva, in the Kyiv region, she and husband Vitalii, 32, decided to leave.

“We were so scared. We just grabbed the children, my husband put them in the car and we just left. We didn’t know where we were going,” Iryna said.

The family stopped in the Western part of Ukraine in the hope the conflict would be resolved within weeks – but the situation kept getting worse.

With men of a certain age having to remain in the country, Iryna and her two children crossed the Polish border and went to France.

"We spent three months in France waiting for the end of this. Unfortunately, we realised that there was not going to be an end and we need to start trying to live a new life.”

That new life started in Hartlepool in June and Iryna has praised the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

"The sponsorship is not just housing support. It’s a family thing,” she said.

"We are so thankful, all of us Ukrainians here. We have this feeling of thankfulness and love.

"We really hope that things get better. I think most Ukrainians want to go back because we didn’t want to move. We all have careers. We had houses, we had trips every year abroad, we had everything home.

"Maybe that’s why it feels sometime that you were somebody and now you are nobody, you have to start from the beginning.”

She added: "This war taught us not to make plans.”

David said: "We just wanted to help.

"It’s been rewarding. It’s been very enjoyable.

"They’re like our family now. As soon as we can, we’ll go over to Ukraine, when it’s safe.”

"Just go for it”

According to figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 40 Ukrainian refugee households had arrived in the Hartlepool area by October 4 under the sponsorship scheme from 50 successful applications.

Lyudmyla Vasyutina, 72, was among the asylum seekers who arrived in Hartlepool in October after leaving Zaporizhzhia in March.

She could see the city’s nuclear plant from her window and once shelling there started she went to Lviv, in Western Ukraine, in search of safety.

She stayed with her son, who works in Warsaw, before coming to Hartlepool, where she now lives with Rose Astill and her partner, Robbin Boyd, both 26.

Despite the huge age difference, they have made it work so well that Rose has even convinced her mother to host an Ukrainian, hopefully Lyudmyla’s friend.

"I would say definitely just go for it,” Rose said.

It is an advice echoed by fellow sponsors Kenneth Green, 34, and Andrew Green, 36 after they signed up for the hosting scheme in April.

Since late June, they have been living with Diana Kalnytska, 22, from Kharkiv.

"I found a very good family,” said Diana.

"Every day there are more and more Ukrainians in Hartlepool and I am very glad that everyone here is ready and happy to help.”

“Hartlepool is support”

Since March, the Salaam Centre, in Murray Street, has become a meeting spot for Ukrainians in the town, as well as people interested in becoming hosts.

Avril Osborne, 72, has been attending the weekly meetings for several months now and is expecting her Ukrainian guest to arrive soon.

“I want to save a life,” said Avril.

"I think they need help, they’ve got nothing. If it was me, I would like to think somebody would help me because we are all human.”

Thanking Hartlepool Borough Council for its support throughout the process, Avril added: "Don’t let red tape put you off.

"There were a few criteria, where I thought I am never going to get through this, but I have.

"Now I’m just waiting for her to arrive.”

Iryna added: "I would say Hartlepool is support and you feel like your back is covered.”

To find out more about the Homes for Ukraine scheme, visit www.gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukraine

Information is also available at the weekly Hartlepool Ukraine Support meetings at the Salaam Centre. Visit the Salaam Community Centre Facebook page for details.