Organisations on Merseyside are rushing to the aid of Ukrainian refugees who have come to Liverpool to be treated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
It was announced earlier this week Alder Hey was one of seven hospitals in England that would be taking Ukrainian children for life saving cancer treatment. Louise Shepherd, chief executive of Alder Hey, said the hospital was proud to welcome the children and support them on their road to recovery.
She said: "It is unimaginable what they have already been through and we're looking forward to welcoming them and offering them a home from home, comfort and hope."
READ MORE: Alder Hey 'proud' to take Ukrainian children for cancer treatment
But the offer of home and hope has now been extended past the hospital walls as organisations and individuals express interest in helping the Ukrainian families. It was recently announced the amount of people who had signed up to take in Ukrainians as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme was nearing 150,000.
Andrew Mahon, director of West Kirby -based Equfund, told the ECHO he had watched on in "shock and astonishment" at the events in Ukraine. Mr Mahon said he had been so impressed with the Ukrainian people and the countries who have offered their help.
Mr Mahon added: "I have a lot of confidence the people of this country will step up to help them. There have been three million new refugees in the past three weeks and half of those are children. I'm sure the people of Liverpool will feel pride towards the hospital for stepping up. I'm a father myself, so it would be my worst nightmare to find out my child was suffering but they couldn't get the help they needed because of the conflict around them."
Mr Mahon is director at Equfund - a privately funded community benefit society who provide affordable housing to people in need, primarily in Merseyside. Mr Mahon said the society primarily focuses on young families at risk of homelessness - but added he felt he had to do something to help.
Mr Mahon has offered a house in the Dingle area to a Ukrainian family whose child is being treated at Alder Hey. He said: "I think the most important thing is they have somewhere they can call home. Whether it's for six months or three years, we'll look to play our part so we've immediately made available a property available."
Another organisation who has offered accommodation to Ukrainian families is YMCA. Chief executive Ellie McNeil said the charity would be doing all they could to support the people of Ukraine who come to Liverpool.
Ms McNeil originally offered the charity's support to Alder Hey following the cancer treatment announcement. She told the ECHO "like many across the country we've been moved by the situation in Ukraine".
She added: "It's hard to imagine the trauma that people have experienced as one day they are going about their lives and the next their country and everything that home means is under attack. Liverpool is a city of love and kindness and it is no surprise that we were one of the first places to offer support to people from Ukraine.
"As a local charity YMCA Together has been supporting people and communities across the city region for 175 years, we have been there with hope and care and kindness for people experiencing challenging times and this is no different. As a charity and social landlord we will do all we can to support people coming over from the Ukraine with accommodation and everything they need to make a home in Liverpool."
Mr Mahon added: "We can provide them with a place of safety until they're able to return home to rebuild their country. I think the people of the UK will be more than willing to do that."
