Delight as disabled Ukrainian refugee Max set to arrive in Peterborough

A disabled Ukrainian refugee and his family have arrived in Peterborough to start their new life.

Rosie and John Sandall have known Max Yaschenko (31) for 25 years through their fundraising efforts in Ukraine.

John and Rosie have been supporting families still feeling the impacts of the Chernobyl disaster, and have visited Max – who uses a wheelchair – and his parents in the village where they lived near Chernihiv every year.

Sadly, Max’s home was destroyed by Russian forces during the war.

The family eventually escaped to Poland where they have been waiting six weeks for their visas which were granted last week.

Max and his parents, Sveta and Vasily, will be staying in temporary accommodation in Peterborough until somewhere wheelchair friendly can be found for them.

Rosie said: “We are delighted that at last Max and his family are coming to Peterborough. Many people have heard us talk about Max and we are looking forward to helping the family settle into the city.

“It has been difficult organising visas for them but we are just happy that they are finally able to come to the UK.”

Last month it was revealed that more than 50 visas have been issued for Ukrainian refugees to come to Peterborough in the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with the council saying more visas were expected to be granted.

A council spokesman said: “We are expecting more to be issued as numbers of applications continue to increase. With the situation in Ukraine on-going, it is difficult for us to predict future numbers of visas at the moment.

"Our officers are currently working to produce special welcome packs for people arriving in the city. The welcome packs will contain information to help people access key support and essential services such as health and education. We will continue to work with communities to offer suitable support to help refugees settle in Peterborough.

"Peterborough is a welcoming city and we are sure that residents will help those arriving from Ukraine to settle into communities. In the meantime, there is plenty that residents can do to show support from offering space in their homes to making donations to charities, for more information visit https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/campaigns/support-for-the-people-of-ukraine”