North East Ukrainians raising humanitarian funds for families stuck in crisis

Ukrainians in the North East of England are raising money to send back to Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

The money will be used to provide humanitarian relief to millions of families impacted by Vladimir Putin's offensive and hundreds of thousands who have already fled the country.

Lena Archbold, a textile artist living in Gateshead, told ITV News Tyne Tees her parents have housed four families in Kyiv so they can avoid being hit by Putin's missiles in their high rise apartment blocks.

She said: "I have a nephew, Nikita, eight years old. He shakes, he cries, because the first day when all of a sudden these blasts started and they running to shelter, he remembers this. He could not stop shaking and he could not talk. Another girl, four years old living in the house of my parents, Eva, she cannot stop crying. And they’re trained so well. If they’re upstairs and they hear shooting, they quietly run downstairs to the cellar."

Lena said she feels helpless being in the UK, but is determined to help in any way she can. She provides daily online updates chronicling what her family have experienced during the conflict and she speaks to her mother every hour to provide emotional support.

Having raised £12,000 through her network of friends and colleagues in the North East over the weekend, she now aims to raise £100,000 by the end of March.

She added: "In march we’re planning to raise £100,000. It’s only this much. We’re planning to buy medication and medical equipment, exactly what we’re told there is a shortage of and transport by road to Ukraine via Poland where medication will be collected."

Simon Cyhanko is a member of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain and has many cousins still living in the country.

He said since the invasion, he feels an urge to take action from the North East.

He said: "Contacting MPs to try and provide more military support to Ukraine, try to put more sanctions on Russia and the rich Russians living in this country. So the more we can do that way, the more of an impact we can have, but we’ve also started to raise money for humanitarian reasons.

"The UK Ukrainian community this weekend have raised about £25-30,000. That now stands at over £700,000 and that is a hell of a lot of money that’ll make a big, big difference for lots and lots of people."

North East councils are now considering how many refugees they may take from the Ukraine crisis. For Middlesbrough, the mayor, Andy Preston, said the town's doors are open.

He said: "Ukrainians who are fleeing mortal danger are absolutely welcome here. I want our government to open the doors and welcome people all over the country, but Middlesbrough will absolutely play its part and do our fair share, just as we did with Afghan families who had supported British soldiers."

Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council said: “We will continue to welcome people to safety in our city, and we stand ready to offer that same support to those displaced as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We would also call on the government to do more to waive visa restrictions on people from Ukraine and ensure safe passage for people seeking safety in the UK."

Gateshead Council said it will provide as much support as it is able to for the people of Ukraine.Stockton Council said it has a "track record of supporting vulnerable people and will await information from the government before further steps are taken".

Sunderland Council said it has "always worked closely with national authorities on refugee and asylum dispersal schemes, and will do so again with Ukrainian nationals".Darlington Council said "We stand with the people of Ukraine and Darlington would of course be prepared to play its part in welcoming refugees if necessary.And Durham County Council said: “We are committed to offering humanitarian support through government resettlement schemes and have helped many families from Afghanistan and Syria in this way. Should the government establish such a scheme for Ukrainian nationals, we will consider what part we can play.”

Watch the full report from ITV's Kris Jepson: