My wife and I have taken in a Ukrainian family on 18 October. Mum, Natalya, from Kiev, and her two boys aged 1 and 4. We have done this because our parents grew up in Portsmouth and Bristol during WW2, so we know from our parent’s stories what it was like growing up a civilian in a war zone. The Ukrainian government is saying to its people do not return while there are power cuts this winter, so we are pleased we made this decision to host.

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers and the help we have had so far, to get the things we need to help them feel at home. I really want to thank all the outstandingly generous people I would have never otherwise met who have Freecycled carloads of stuff to help us fill our house with suitable toys and the necessary gadgets and gizmos to create a safe home for this refugee family.

There is, however, a real and substantial item on our wish list which is missing. A car. We live in the countryside, mid-way between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray, on a trunk road, and while we can provide all the safety and security the family needs, our bus service was taken away in April, just after we registered as hosts on the Government scheme. Taxis don’t like to come out to us either because they don’t get revenue for coming out to pick us up, so they want to charge us for coming out as well as the journey we then want to undertake.

There is a vibrant Ukrainian community growing up in the villages across the North Leicestershire/ Charnwood/ South Nottingham districts, and there are established meeting hubs in Leicester and Nottingham. Our family is resourceful and has already been researching the cost of a mid-range automatic car so they can access these facilities and meet likeminded Ukrainians in the neighbourhood, independent of us. Natalya and her family deserve this freedom. They did not ask to be innocent victims of someone else’s war.

We hope that Natalya will be able to return home safely and soon, and if there is any value in the car which this crowdfunding has bought, when we need to sell it, we will donate those monies to the Red Cross, to do more good.