Ukrainian family living in Swansea hotel fear move to north Wales will 'harm children's education'

A Ukrainian family who have been living in a Swansea hotel for nine months have been told they have to leave because the site is closing.

Natalia, her husband and four children fled the war in Ukraine and settled in Swansea but now they will have to start all over again at a holiday park in north Wales.

The family told ITV News they fear moving will impact their children's education.

They love music and studied it back in Ukraine and had hoped to continue those lessons in Swansea.

The city's council told ITV News the family were offered 12 different properties.

However, the council said the family said the options did "not meet their needs".

Mary Mikulska said she and her brother and sister have been "really happy in Swansea because of school" and she loves the teachers in school.

She added that she has "played cool music" whilst living in the city.

Mrs Mikulska described the moment she told her children they had to move. "They started to cry," she said.

She feels the situation is "unfair" but Swansea council said it will try "to secure them accommodation" in the city.

In a statement, Swansea council said: "Of the 21 families who were living in the hotel as part of the Welsh Government’s scheme, we have worked with private and social landlords to find 19 families accommodation and we are hopeful a solution has been found for one of the two remaining families.

"We have met regularly with the other family and identified 12 different properties, nine of which they have viewed.

"They have received three firm offers but unfortunately the family has said these do not meet their needs.

"The council also worked with Welsh Government to agree an extension for families in the hotel who were unable to secure accommodation within the original timescale.

"We will continue to work with the family to try to secure them accommodation."

A Welsh Government spokesperson told ITV News: “We are proud to be a nation of sanctuary and have welcomed just under 7,000 people from Ukraine to Wales, including more than 3,200 through our super sponsor route.

“So far we have supported 1,600 people to move on from our initial accommodation into longer-term housing. We will continue do everything we can to help move people into longer term accommodation – either with hosts or into private or social housing across Wales and, in line with our ‘no-one left out’ approach, not made homeless.

“We do not comment on individual cases, but all families in initial accommodation will be offered alternative longer-term accommodation and will not be made homeless.”

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