Horsham family’s desperate bid to house Ukrainian refugees

Hayley and Heather Timson and eight-year-old twins Jack and Kitty have been given the go-ahead to sponsor a family who fled Kyiv when bombing started.

But they have hit out at delays in welcoming a vulnerable Ukrainian mum and her children into their Southwater home as a ‘disgrace.’

They have been waiting more than three weeks for all necessary paperwork to be sorted out.

“We applied in good faith thinking the UK government had finally got it right,” said Hayley.

“An extremely vulnerable family is in a desperate situation - we can help, but they are still waiting. It’s a disgrace.

“It’s literally red tape holding things up and there seems no rhyme or reason to the process.”

She told how Ukrainian mum Kateryna fled with her 11-year-old daughter Anastasiia to Poland - and gave birth alone last month to her baby son Denys after her husband Andrii had to stay in Ukraine with the Army.

“An 11-year-old daughter left her father and her home with just the clothes she was wearing. Can you imagine?,” said Hayley.

Kateryna has since been joined by her own mother Hanna and the whole family are now waiting to join the Timsons at their home in Southwater.

The two families first got in touch through a mutual friend - Ukrainian Iryna Kostiuchenko, who lives in Billingshurst.

“We had all been watching this war break out and ultimately I was looking for a way I could help,” said Hayley.

“I thought I might travel over there with supplies and then I saw people were doing that. Then this Homes For Ukraine thing came out.

“We have two spare bedrooms and there was no way I was going to leave them empty.

“My children are all behind this as well.”

The two families have since spoken on Facetime and are looking forward to meeting in person.