A Ukrainian mother has thanked the people of Eden after finding a safe haven for her family in Kirkby Stephen.
The Zelinskyi family, from Kyiv, witnessed death and destruction as Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Inna Zelinska, who was pregnant at the time with her third child, says the family lived near one of the airports in Kyiv when the terror began.
“First of all, Russia began bombing all airports in Kyiv. We woke in the night and looked through the window and we saw that people were in panic,” she told the Herald this week. “People were trying to leave in their cars. It was a very difficult situation.”
The family, like thousands of others, fled Kyiv but as they travelled west they encountered territory occupied by Russian troops, who were killing civilians as they tried to pass.
“It was very terrible, when we saw it,” said Inna. “We were in shock. They committed violence against women and children. A lot of people who were in the cars on the road raised their hands to surrender and they killed them.
“It is very terrible when we think about it, because a lot of people, a lot of children, died.” As well as the trauma of witnessing such barbaric acts, Inna and husband Andrii also worried for the safety of their own children.
“As the war escalated, their children’s school was shelled, and Inna found herself caring for her newborn baby in air raid shelters and through blackouts. She also heard reports of other war crimes, including sexual violence against women.
“Determined to find a safe haven, she began making appeals on Facebook, and discovered the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and the OPORA charity were helping families. Eventually she made contact with UK volunteer Frank Chalmers, from Brough, who had become active helping to find host families for Ukrainians. Frank was able to introduce the Zelinskyis to Eden couple John and Alison Andrew, and after several meetings online they invited Inna, husband Andrii and their children Rustam, Andrii and Solomiia to live in Kirkby Stephen in January this year.
Inna says the welcome and support the family has received in the Cumbrian town has been overwhelming.
“It is a new life for us and a new experience. We liked it from the first day when we came here and met with John and Alison in real life. Before, we were speaking on Zoom, and they were very kindly and a pleasure to meet. We loved them from the first minute.”
Inna also says the fresh air and green landscapes of Eden have helped to create a good experience for them. “This town is very wonderful, from the very first minute we loved it. This area is very beautiful.
“In Ukraine we have an area like this, the Carpathian mountains, and it is very similar. We feel at home, and the people in the town have been so welcoming; people speak to us on the street.”
After they arrived in Kirkby Stephen, their hosts arranged a welcome meeting for them with supporters from the community. The family say they will never forget such generosity.
When they arrived, they were also delighted to discover they had 400 welcomes on Facebook.
Frank Chalmers said it would be great if more people could come forward to help families in similarly hard situations.
“Inna asked me over two years ago to find a home in the safety of the UK and now they are here. It is a very happy situation. But we need more hosts. I can match Ukrainians to homes offered in Eden — holiday homes, spare properties, houses waiting to be used for whatever purpose — empty places.
“Ukrainians are being attacked in their apartments and mums and children need to be here to be calm and lose their trauma.”
“People in Ukraine need safety. We need the offer of a home, and then we can match it with the people on the list who want to come over, so that all are happy and comfortable, and then the next step is to make the arrangements for them to come over,” he said.
If you think you may be able to help a Ukrainian family find shelter, Frank says he welcomes informal inquiries to find out more about how this might work.
He can be contacted via his Hosts Hub 4 Ukraine telephone number 07389 095269.
