‘The UK is my home now but you never forget you are a refugee’

The first time Roxy looked out of a plane window was when she had to flee a war-torn country she once called home.

Now aged 17, she is one of approximately 254,000 Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK following Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022.

It is estimated one million people have so far been killed or wounded in the conflict and thousands have been forced to abandon their homes.

Fearing for their safety, Roxy and her mother Alla Bredic also made the difficult decision to leave, their lives forever divided into “before and after the war”.

For Roxy leaving everything she knew behind was “an emotional struggle” that came with conflicting feelings.

“Although you feel at home, you never forget you’re a refugee,” she says.

“You don’t only think about the country you left, you think about the life you left.”

Roxy and her mother moved in with Nikki Cohen in Leeds as part of the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Adapting to a new life in a different country did not come without its challenges and surprises.

“When Alla and Roxy came to Leeds, I think they assumed everybody sat down with a scone and jam everyday at four o’clock and drank tea out of china cups,” Ms Cohen laughs.

The decision to open her home to them was in part influenced by Ms Cohen’s own family history.

“My great-grandparents came to this country as refugees from what is now Lithuania,” she says.

“I just felt really strongly that, heaven forbid, if I was in the same situation I’d want people to open their doors.”

The heartbreak of war includes not only the loss of life but the loss of a sense of normality.

Ola Kasperovych, 18, says when she had to leave Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, she felt her life was “ruined”.

“I had so many plans, I was going to finish school, I was going to go to university,” she says.

Ola and her mother ended up living with Homes for Ukraine hosts Jan and Rob Livesley in Sheffield.

Without the ability to speak English, Ola says her first few months in the UK were “hell”.

“It was hard to make new friends, it was hard to speak to other people because a lot of people think if I’m from Ukraine, I’m really different.”

“[I] was overwhelmed with studying and exams. It was important, I was so stressed.”

Last year, Ola’s life was once again turned upside down when her mother, a doctor, was called back to Ukraine to help in a hospital.

“I have never lived alone,” she says.

“I’m in a new city, a new country, it was really hard to understand.”

Luckily, Ola had the support of Mr and Mrs Livesley who she says have become “like grandparents”.

“I really appreciate what they’ve done for me,” she says.

Mrs Livesley says since Ola’s arrival, they have created many wonderful memories, including trips to the Lyceum in Sheffield and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire at Christmas.

“We’ve become a blended family,” says Mrs Livesley.

“We’re all different and we all bring something different to the party.

“There’s lots of nice things we’ve been able to do and build up our own little traditions too.”

Ola currently volunteers at DE Yummy, a Ukrainian cafe in Sheffield, which is run by Angelina and her mother.

Angelina, 18, came to the UK in 2022 after losing her home.

“I think it’s one of the most dangerous parts of Ukraine,” she says.

“For four days we didn’t have any electricity and had to be in the shelter and couldn’t get out while the bombs fell.”

Angelina credits her settled life in the UK to her host family who helped them set up the business.

“If not for them, I wouldn’t be here,” she says.

“We became not just sponsors and Ukrainians who live in their house, we became family.”

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