Married maths teachers from Kyiv living with a special needs teacher in Finchley. A medical lecturer and her daughter cooking dinner with a kind family in Kentish Town. A music teacher and his niece reunited with the remaining members of their extended family in the home of the Devoy family in Forest Hill.
These are just some of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who’ll be spending Christmas with their British hosts as the war rages on in their home country. For some, it’ll be a celebration: a chance to toast to their new adopted families in the UK, share in the festive spirit and experience a new set of traditions. For many others, it’s an emotional reminder of those traditions and loved ones they’re missing back at home. Either way, hosting is far from a one-way street: those who’ve opened up their homes say inviting refugees into their homes has been deeply moving, hugely rewarding and given them friends for life.
