A kind-hearted ice hockey player has helped 10 Ukrainian families find a home in the North East - including one he's hosting himself.
After watching the horrors of the Russian invasion unfold on his TV screen, Richard Jardine knew he had to do something to help. The 42-year-old, whose son Oliver, 12, plays for Whitley Bay's Junior Development team, used his ice hockey contacts to help connect Ukrainian children who play ice hockey and their families with those in the North East willing to help.
After reaching out to local ice rinks and clubs, the ice hockey community responded in the most amazing way by opening up their homes. The Ukrainian children have also been invited to play ice hockey at the Whitley Bay ice rink so they can continue doing what they love while making friends.
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Richard, from South Shields, said: "I was watching the news like everybody and I heard that people were struggling to match with families. I sat down and thought to myself maybe there is something I could do about it. I play ice hockey and I reached out to some ice rinks and clubs on Facebook and now it's just snowballed.
"These kids will be able to come here and play ice hockey. It's just giving them something that they're familiar with. Ice hockey is a tough sport, the kids are very motivated and committed and it's likely they'll want to get back doing what they love.
"It's also about them making friends and integrating into the community so they can live some sort of normal life."
Richard has now helped find a home for around 10 families in the North East with many Ukrainian families knowing each other already through ice hockey. The dad is also opening up his home to take in a mother and two sons, the older of which plays ice hockey, who are currently in Hungary.
He is now urging others able to help by opening up their homes to those in need saying there is still people "needing somewhere safe to live".
The dad said: "We have now helped in the region of 10 families and a lot of them are known to each other and when they get here they will see someone they know. With ice hockey, there is no language barrier and everyone gets along.
"I've connected with my family on Facebook and we're just getting to know each other. One of the good things about this is that even if they're on the side of the road they're still going to be able to be contacted by Facebook groups.
"There are still people out there needing homes, needing somewhere safe to live. These people have nowhere else to go. They didn't ask for this, it's been forced upon them and these are women and children we're talking about. Nobody should have to go through this.
"It's awful when people are having to hide in basements while bombs are dropping above. I never thought I would see anything like this in my life."
If you would like to get involved, you can visit the Homes for Ukraine Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, Newcastle Upon Tyne Facebook page here.
