The family of farmers from Devon inviting 11 Ukrainian refugees into their home

  • Watch Sam Blackledge's report here

A family of farmers from mid-Devon are opening up their home to another family of 11 fleeing Ukraine.

Bridget Down, her husband and four children, who run a 170-acre farm near Iddesleigh, have signed up for the Government's 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme.

Bridget says she was so moved by the plight of the Ukrainian people following the Russian invasion that she felt she had to help.

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"This house is famously known as somewhere that people just come, we've always hosted people," she said. "But 11 people, I've never done this before."

The family of five girls, four boys and mum and dad travelled from Kyiv and are currently in Poland, applying for visas so they can make their way to the UK.

"It's a real honour and a privilege to have people come and stay and to share in life with us. I can definitely see that we're going to get so much for this experience as well" she said.

The families local community have been donating goods to help their guests when they arrive

Bridget said: "We have signed up to have this family for six months, but actually they hope the war will be over soon and they really want to go back. They have got so much hope

"But we are in this for the long-term. If it takes years, it takes years.

"As a mum, you have dreams for your children, and overnight those dreams have been changed.

"They've had to leave friends, relations - and that human family side of it, that's hit me really hard."