Sir Rod Stewart has revealed that he is renting a home for a family-of-seven Ukrainian refugees. The singer has said he is using his 'power' as a knight to help others and for one family who fled war-torn Ukraine, Sir Rod has found them a house, furnished it and pledged to pay their rent and bills for at least a year.
He said he usually keeps "all my charitable efforts nice and quiet," but hoped that by making his latest actions public, they might inspire others to help too. Sir Rod has provided support to Ukrainian couple Rostylsav and Olena and their five children, paying rent and bills for the property for at least a year, according to The Mirror.
The family, who arrived in the UK without speaking any English, are “lovely… so polite” and “all very grateful”, Sir Rod said. "It just makes me want to do more. I am thinking of getting another house now and getting a lot more people over," he told the publication.
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"I usually keep all my charitable efforts nice and quiet and just do it. But I thought, ‘I am a knight, I have been given this knighthood because of the things I’ve achieved in my life and the charity work I’ve done over the years.’
"But that was the past; I want to be seen to be doing something now. I am a knight, I should be using my power to do something for people. I am sure that if there are people out there who see what I am doing, they will pick up some slack too."
Sir Rod and his wife Penny Lancaster were inspired to act after witnessing the unfolding events of the ongoing war in Ukraine on the news. "Words couldn't describe what we were watching," Sir Rod said. "The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and playgrounds. Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don't wish that one anyone. This is evil, pure evil."
As well as renting the three-storey red-brick townhouse in Berkshire, Sir Rod also hired three trucks filled with supplies for refugees and had them driven to Ukraine, before using the same vehicles to transport 16 people back to safety in Berlin.
Sir Rod enlisted the help of his nephew, Warren, who suggested getting the trucks and filling them with supplies. "He said, 'Listen, let's get some trucks together, fill them up with supplies and whatever they need,'" Sir Rod recalled. "So we got three trucks and a team drove up all the way to Ukraine. It took them a weekend. They got all the way to the border and took 16 refugees back to Berlin for safety."
Sir Rod was desperate to go on the journey himself but he was advised against it – perhaps unsurprisingly given his age of 77. Instead, Warren was joined by brother Gavin and six other volunteers for the mercy dash, which was completely funded by the star. He was later put in contact with Rostyslav and his family, as well as others who he has since given jobs to.
The musician has said it was a delight getting to know Rostyslav and his children, despite the obvious language barrier. "They are such a lovely little family and so polite too. None of them speak English but they have such wonderful manners, especially the teenagers,” Sir Rod said before he laughed: "I don’t know what they are like when I'm not here though."
Next month will see Sir Rod kick off a string of UK arena dates, playing in Nottingham, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Belfast, London, Birmingham and Manchester. He told The Mirror that he plans to address the conflict in Ukraine as part of the tour, dedicating shows to the country and its people.
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