Ukraine war: Brits spend ‘thousands of pounds’ to help refugees get to UK

“I’m a patriot,” says Tony Kearne. “I just thought this was my chance to step up and help people with trauma.”

“I’m too old to fight,” adds the 59-year-old. “So I want to do my best and help the women and children who are in danger, while their husbands are fighting.”

Tony and his girlfriend jumped at the chance to help Ukrainian refugees and signed up for the government sponsorship scheme to take in a family as soon as they could.

They were paired with Kateryna Omnurfryk and her mother Natalya Omnurfryk, along with three young children.

But the beds Tony prepared weeks ago are still empty as he waits for the Home Office to grant the Omnurfryk family visas.

Tony himself had submitted the visa applications for the Omnurfryks, but 40 days later only four of the five visas were granted, meaning the family was left stranded in Poland.

“Four visas have been approved but the fifth hasn’t, which of course catches them because they can only travel as a whole family,” he says.

Meanwhile, the Omnurfryks ran out of cash as they waited for the Home Office to issue the final visa.

Tony has now spent more than £2,500 to provide them with accommodation and vital necessities such as food and diapers.

Tony says that Kateryna has “never, ever asked for money”, but without financial support, her only option is “to go back to Ukraine”.

He says he’s happy to shell out the money if it means getting his sponsored family to the UK safely, but he can’t forgive the government for the delays.

“The slowness, the bureaucracy, the potholes and the lack of communication. I took a step forward, but now I feel sewn by the government,” says Tony.

These are the sentiments shared by Derek Atkins, who sponsors Zoryana Fesyk and her three children aged 11, 13 and 17, and who applied for the sponsorship on March 29.

“When we started this journey, I was so happy to be able to support this family,” says Derek. “But I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it was going to cost £2,500.”

Derek says that with the help of family and friends, he got his house ready for his new guests more than a month ago.

“But instead of this family participating, we had to spend £2,500 on hotels and hostels in Warsaw.”

He says he spent weeks emailing and calling “every helpline we could think of”, but says the whole system has been an “absolute disgrace”.

“I feel so strongly that this government has been a complete disgrace with this whole thing. And I speak for hundreds of people,” Derek says.

Enver Solomon, CEO of The Refugee Council, says the current visa scheme is “not fit for purpose”.

“I think it’s appalling that the British public have had to stick their hands in their pockets to pay people because they haven’t been able to get to the UK quickly.”

He says he believes the government has relied heavily on the goodwill of the British public, willing to open “their hearts and homes” to Ukrainians fleeing war.

But he says the government has failed to provide simple, safe and fast routes for Ukrainians to reach the UK.

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A Home Office spokesman told Sky News: “The British public have gone to great lengths to welcome thousands of Ukrainians into their homes, and sponsoring households will receive a thank you payment of £350 a month for There is no expectation that people will have to pay for hotel rooms to accommodate Ukrainians.

“So far the Home Office has granted over 95,000 visas, with over 37,000 Ukrainians arriving safely in the UK, and thanks to changes made to streamline the service, we are now processing thousands of visas a day.”