A Bristol woman who travelled to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees has criticised the British government's refugee settlement scheme for being too complicated and putting vulnerable people at risk. Ruth McMenamin, from Bishopston, travelled to eastern Europe after taking a three-month sabbatical from her job back home.
The 34-year-old has been welcoming refugees arriving at Warsaw central station, where volunteers are providing meals, toiletries, Polish sim cards and healthcare support for refugees fleeing the war in their country. But Ruth says that her attempts to help refugees navigate the British government's Homes for Ukraine scheme and secure visas has been difficult.
"Our UK policy for allowing people in is so difficult, it's so complicated. It's hard for someone to navigate if you do speak the language, never mind if you're a non-English speaker who's just fled a country," she told Bristol Live. Currently, refugees without a family in the UK have to find a sponsor to house them before they can become eligible to be resettled here, but Ruth said the processes are far too difficult.
