On the hottest day of the year, five adults and two children are packed inside a semi-detached house in Radcliffe. It's gone 5pm but the temperature is still a sweltering 30C.
Yet no one here seems fazed by the inescapable humidity. That’s because the Muhsin family have finally found a place of sanctuary.
Four weeks ago, months after leaving war-torn Ukraine, the family-of-five were welcomed into Karen Hopwood and Jim Eynon's home.
As the first Russian bombs rained down in February, Munadil and Alina Muhsin made the heartbreaking decision to leave their once quiet suburb outside Kyiv, where they ran their own clothing business.
They packed their bags, bundled their son and daughter into a car and headed for the Polish border. Their lives as they knew them were over.
Joined by Alina's mother, Halyna, the family made for the Polish border. The next five days were spent crammed inside the car amid sub-zero temperatures.
Outside, they could hear the sound of explosions that signalled yet another Russian missile hitting its target. They eventually made it out of Ukraine but months of uncertainty were to follow as the Muhsins travelled west through Europe in search of shelter.
Conditions were gruelling and for Munadil, an asthmatic, the heat and pollen made him constantly ill, while he suffered a painful knee injury following a bad fall.
It was when the family were in Belgium that Karen and Jim first learned of their plight, through Munadil's uncle, a former colleague of Karen's. The couple say they felt compelled to help and signed up to support the family via the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
After weeks of rigorous checks, the Muhsins and Halyna arrived in the UK last month. "It was the only way," Karen explained.
"I didn’t want them to be stuck there, I didn’t want family to be separated. We were really concerned about the children because they were missing schooling, they’d lost their friends.
"They were traumatised, they’d heard the bombs. What do you do? Leave somebody in that situation?"
Neither Karen or Jim had any experience of hosting refugees - nor any plans to do so until now.
Jim, a retired civil servant, explained: “We watched a lot of the news and that was heartrending anyway, then it got very personal. It’s a big decision to make but they’re lovely."
Watching the children, Amir, eight, and Ariana, six, ride their bikes on the quiet suburban street outside, it is almost impossible to comprehend what they have lived through these last five months.
Inside Karen and Jim's house, there is just one bathroom between seven people. It is often crowded but they all seem to enjoy one another's company.
"They’re just part of the family now," said Jim. "It’s like their home.” Prior to the Muhsins' arrival on July 6, the family had never visited the UK. Karen has since spent hours setting up bank accounts and national insurance numbers to help Munadil and Alina find work.
As Munadil holds an Iraqi passport - from where he moved to Ukraine more than a decade ago - his situation is slightly different to that of his wife and children.
“The paperwork has been the hardest and most time consuming part," Karen explained. "The trouble we had to even open a bank account, it took hours and hours and not being able to get an appointment. Until you have that, you can’t do one thing.
"There’s this knock-on effect for everything. Even to get child benefit, which they’re entitled to, they can’t get it without a national insurance number and that can be weeks."
Both Munadil and Alinda are currently in the process of looking for jobs, while Karen and Jim have helped to secure Amir and Ariana places at a local primary school.
They are due to start in September and Karen, who works as a teacher herself, has taken out library books to prepare the children for their studies. She has also been teaching both Amir and Ariana how to bake.
The family speak little English - they currently communicate with Jim and Karen via Google Translate - but are hoping to start taking lessons in the near future. To welcome them to Radcliffe, generous neighbours have donated toys, bikes and food. Munadil and the children have also accompanied a neighbour to several FC United matches.
"The neighbours have been superb," Karen explained. "We didn’t ask them for any help at all, so it’s a voluntary thing.
“Especially with the children, it melts their hearts. For them, everything they have ever known had to be left behind. Their home, their family, their dog, their friends.
“They were like scared little rabbits on the first day. When I heard them giggling two days later, I could tell they were settling in.”
One day, the Muhsins would like to return home. They may have found sanctuary but they constantly worry about their loved ones back in Ukraine.
Following the invasion, their hometown of Irpin was the scene of intense fighting as it fell to Russian troops. When the tanks rolled out of there several weeks later, they left behind the ruins of a town - while the bodies of nearly 300 civilians were found.
"In Ukraine, we had a home and work," said Munadil. "We had everything there, but when we left home, we took only our clothes. Everything is destroyed now.
"We see images from home but we don't know anything about what is going on. Everyone in Manchester has been so helpful and friendly since we arrived."
As the war rages on, the Muhsins do not see themselves returning home any time soon. For now, they say they feel 'comfortable and happy' with their new lives in Greater Manchester.
More than 1,400 Ukrainians have so far been placed with hosts in Greater Manchester under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, according to government figures.
Offering advice to those considering putting themselves forward as a host, Karen said: “It enriches your life but you’ve got to be prepared for giving your time and effort. It’s hours of bureaucracy and hours of waiting.
"I don't know how they would have managed with all the form filling and things that have had to be completed without support. They would’ve really struggled.
Jim added: “I was concerned at first but it’s been so rewarding. They are wonderful people and they are like our family. They’re not just staying here for a bit. It’s a challenge but bring it on."
For more information on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, head to the government's website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions.
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