St Leonards church members re-united with Ukrainian nephews

Natalia and Lee Greaves, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, had been waiting in Paris for the government to grant visas for their two-year-old and eight-year-old nephews.

The bishop from the church spoke last week, calling on the UK government to do more to help refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Bishop Cornelis Taekema said: “The British border authorities wouldn’t let them in as they are not technically Lee’s. His wife, who is Ukrainian, and himself have tried for many years to adopt the two nephews who were raised in a children’s home, but when they received guardianship, visas and adoption requests were denied several times.

“Before the war started, his wife was poised at the airport to fly back to Ukraine, to look after them in their home near Kiev when all flights were cancelled due to the Russian attacks.

“We as a church had been fasting and praying for their successful reunion and thank God, the transport train these two boys were put on together with hundreds of other children arrived safely at the Polish border.

“All this caused unnecessary suffering and deepening the stress and anxiety levels for these poor people. Perhaps going in a blow-up dingy across is a better option? Of course not! The plight of the refugees of other nationalities remains unsolved and immigration like this can’t be stopped unless the governments of France and Britain tackle it seriously.”

Bishop Taekema said the couples’ problems demonstrate the wider issue of the unfair treatment of refugees by the UK government.

He added: “The Polish authorities are to be praised for the way they’ve handled the situation by providing transport, help, shelter, safety, food and commodities to the refugees immediately without delay. Why can’t we? Why so much red tape?”

He added:“In my work, as a teacher at Buckswood, the students have been affected badly as the school has students from many nationalities including Ukrainian and Russian. Levels of stress and anxiety have been high as you can imagine and I’ve witnessed it personally.

“I feel frustrated and feel equally stressed out that the British Government did not amend the immigration laws to allow people to cross the channel and be reunited with their loved ones. I have contacted my local MP and councillor but no reply received to date. As a consequence my opinion of the Government is at a low point, and the couple are frustrated and angry with the system too.

“Of course, the country needs boarder control, but the PM is playing to the gallery of the Tory backbenchers and a humanitarian crises of this magnitude seems less important than politics.”

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