Could you give a Ukrainian family a home on the Isle of Wight?

That is the question Community Action Isle of Wight is posing this Christmas.

The Newport-based charity has already helped home 100 families from the war-torn country.

But it is struggling to meet the demand  for placing larger families and is appealing for additional help from the Island community.

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One such family includes Yuliia, an estate agent from Kharkiv in Ukraine, who is seeking accommodation for herself and her three children,

She said: “We have been so lucky to stay with a wonderful host family on the Island in Atherfield and they have been really welcoming to us. 

"However, they now need to downsize and we will therefore need to find somewhere else to live from March next year. 

“When my children and I fled Ukraine my husband stayed behind to help our community and we thought that we would only stay in the UK for a couple of months.

"Sadly it is not safe for us to return home and the conditions under which my husband is living have become so difficult, with no heating and power cuts, that he is going to come to the Island to join us. 

"My children are in school in Brighstone and Newport and we would be so grateful to be able to stay in the same area as the children are really settled in school and doing well.”

Philippa Daley from Community Action, who has coordinated much of the support to date, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to all the Island families that have helped us so far. 

"You have made such a difference to the many families that have had to leave their loved ones behind to escape the horrors of the war in Ukraine, offering them a safe place to live here on the Island. 

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"We have also been delighted that so many of our hosts have told us of the positive experience this has been for them too.

“However, we have found it difficult to place larger families who are desperate to stay together and so we appealing to property owners with vacant properties to come forward.

"We are ideally looking for properties with two or three bedrooms in locations across the Island that property owners would be willing to rent for a minimum of a year.”  

CEO from Community Action, Mike Bulpitt said: “The generosity of Islanders has been truly remarkable, and we are hopeful that more people can come forward to help families in need.” 

Anyone able to help is asked to contact Philippa on 01983 539374 or email ukraine@actioniw.org.uk 

Community Action will then provide the support to guide you through the process.