Iryna Shava

Hello my darling.

I am you in the future. This letter of support is for you.

I know how desperate you are right now.

Until recently, you had a very happy life. A large and friendly family: parents, a beloved husband, two adult sons, a daughter and daughter-in-law and two mischievous grandchildren. You had a very interesting job and a beloved home, where there was a place for pets 3 dogs and 2 cats.

You had plans for the future. You were looking forward to the summer to go on vacation with the whole family to the sea.
And now it seems to you that you are living in some kind of terrible nightmare and you can’t wake up in any way.
February 24 at 4 am it all started with the sound of explosions. And the government has reported a treacherous attack on your country.
War. What a terrible word. The war broke into the life of your family and millions of families in Ukraine!

Everything changed quickly. You found out that you don’t have a job right now. One of the first missile strikes hit your enterprise.

And your family. Where is she? Your sons are somewhere out there, in the war, defending their home, their family, their beloved Ukraine.

Your wonderful grandchildren, along with their daughter-in-law, are hastily evacuated to the sound of sirens. And ended up somewhere in a foreign land.

Your daughter instead of studying at the university became a volunteer in Poland. And it helps refugees from Ukraine, mothers and their children.

And now you yourself are urgently equipping a basement in your house in order to hide in it during rocket attacks. And not in vain! Very soon your house will become a haven for families fleeing the war from Bakhmut, Slavyansk, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne! Whole families will find shelter and support in you. During the two months of the war, 9 adults and 5 children will live with you.

This will give them the opportunity to rest, gain strength and move further to the West. As far as possible from the war. And the war is getting closer every day.

And then one morning you will see that today is April 24th. And this
nightmare lasts only 2 months, and it seems to you that a whole life has passed.

And remember that tomorrow, April 25, is your wedding day. 35 years of marriage with a loving husband. And it will never happen again, because you are now a widow. What a terrible and hopeless word...

And by chance you find out that Great Britain, which was one of the first to lend a helping hand to Ukraine, created the program “Houses for Ukraine”. And together with your beloved brother, you will jokingly choose a place in England, it will be Lancashire. Write a message on WhatsApp. And then you will get an answer from
Jane Wood-Greaves and Matt Bakker, who will treat your problems with such understanding, sympathy and kindness that you will take advantage of their invitation and go on a difficult journey.

On the road, not everything will be smooth. When you get on the Dnepr-Lviv train, the Russians will start bombing the power pylons and your train will get stuck in a field. And the day will have to sit
in it without water and food. And your bus to Poland will leave without you. And you will almost miss your plane, but your new friends Jane Wood-Greeves and Matt Bakker will keep in touch with you all the time. They will cheer you up with the magic phrase “Don’t worry, we’ll help you” It is this support that will be the core that will allow you to get to England.

And the nightmare suddenly turns into a fairy tale. You will find a loving family that will warm and comfort you. Jane Wood-Greaves and Matt Bakker will show so much patience, kindness, care, understanding that you will smile again and believe that life goes on!

You will find such powerful support in all aspects of your new life, which will allow you to move on and learn a lot of new and interesting things about England, its culture, traditions and relationships of people.

You will find amazing local council support!

Many questions and problems that inevitably arise among refugees will be resolved quickly and efficiently. This is financial and, most importantly, moral support for people.

Thank you all for the warm welcome in England! Thanks a lot!