A mum who escaped war-torn Ukraine with her two children has now found a home in the North East.
Maryna Rahulina, 40, and her children Margarita, nine, and Makar, six, left their home in Kyiv and travelled to the UK in June this year. They moved in with a sponsor - a couple in Horden, County Durham - while Maryna's husband Ruslam, 41, remained in Ukraine.
The mum-of-two said she decided to leave their home country for the sake of her children as they had been left terrified by Russia's invasion. She said they had to hide in shelters every day and night and her son was scared to go to sleep.
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As the sponsor agreement lasted six months, the trio were required to leave the property on December 1. For the last few weeks, Maryna has been searching for a home in the area so her children could stay at the same school.
At the end of last week, Maryna and her children moved into a private rental property in Peterlee, County Durham. They were given support by Durham County Council, under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, to find the semi-detached home.
Maryna, who taught English to students in Ukraine, said she has also been offered a job as a teaching assistant at the school in County Durham and is due to start on Thursday. She said: "I'm happy that everything is alright.
"We are very happy in this house. It has got space for the kids and for cooking. It's in a good area, the shops are so close, the bus station is not so far and there is park near.
"My children told me 'thank you for our new house'. They said 'Thank you so much, now I'm safe and I'm not nervous about this'. The kids love it so much.
"My husband is happy about the house. He said 'Now I'm not worried about you not being safe and not having a roof over your head'. He's happy and he tells me 'Maryna you're so strong'.
"My husband is so smart and he always tells me 'Don't worry, I'm with you' and 'Don't worry, I will help you'. He's a really good husband and an amazing dad."
Maryna said she has been welcomed to the area by her neighbour and has made many friendships since she moved to the North East in the summer.
She said: "The neighbour is lovely. She'd never saw me before and she gave me some hot food and sandwiches. It was amazing. Our neighbour told us they can give us their Christmas tree and I think that's lovely, it's really nice.
"We plan to celebrate Christmas here. We will celebrate it with my friends. I have got friends who I have met here from Ukraine and friends who are English. They are happy to help and say 'call if you need anything'."
Laura Williams, housing manager with Durham County Council, said: "We are pleased to confirm that we have supported Maryna and her children to move straight into a private rental property near where they were living.
"Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, we are supporting arrivals to overcome barriers they may encounter in securing a tenancy to prevent homelessness, including financial assistance.
"As part of the resettlement support we offer, we will also be visiting Maryna and her children in the coming days to see what further assistance we can provide."
Maryna previously told Chronicle Live how she was told by a friend about the sponsorship programme which would allow her to leave Ukraine with her children and come to the UK where they would be safe.
She said: "The war in Ukraine was scary. We saw planes, they were fighting in the air. They were fighting behind our heads.
"We saw how they bombed the city next to Kyiv. We moved to another village in another area far from Kyiv. We were there, but nothing stopped."
Maryna said that every time they heard a "special sound" they would need to hide in a shelter to ensure they were safe. She said that they were in the shelter everyday and at every night.
She said: "In Kyiv, and the community around Kyiv, they use a special radio station. They can switch it on and we can hear it. They switch it on when they know rockets or something are next to the area or can be in the area.
"My boy is scared of the noise of cars or motorbikes because they have the same sound as planes. It is so scary for him.
"They both remember how the planes were so close to us. They are always with their belongings. The most important things are always with them."
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