"People in Ukraine now can be merry and happy for Christmas again like in Britain."
Those are the words of a 10-year-old Ukrainian refugee whose school has been collecting Christmas gifts to be sent to Ukraine in time for Christmas. Mykyta Chepel, 10, and Anton Kulish, 12, arrived in the North East in March after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Both boys were unable to speak English when they arrived but have settled in well at their new school, Wellfield Middle School, in Whitley Bay. And in support of their new classmates, pupils at the school have been collecting gifts for Ukraine, which will arrive in the capital Kyiv in time for Christmas Day.