British Good Samaritan tells of ‘relief’ as he welcomes Ukrainian refugee, 26, into his UK home
- Max Fox, 32, welcomed Ukrainian refugee Vlad, 26, into his home in Lancashire
- The pair had first met while Mr Fox was helping with aid efforts in Krakow, Poland
- Vlad landed at Manchester Airport yesterday and fell asleep after his journey
A British man has described the ‘relief’ he felt after welcoming a Ukrainian refugee into his Lancashire home after a ‘torturous past week’ of waiting.
Max Fox, 32, welcomed Vlad – who he met while helping with humanitarian aid efforts in Poland – to the UK as he landed at Manchester Airport on yesterday.
Vlad, 26, has already struck up a relationship with the house cockapoo before falling asleep in the Poulton-le-Fylde home where Mr Fox lives with his partner.
Max Fox, 32, welcomed Vlad, 26 – who he met while helping with humanitarian aid efforts in Poland – to the UK as he landed at Manchester Airport on yesterday
Mr Fox met Vlad in Poland. He submitted an application to bring him back to the UK on March 18 and put Vlad up in a hotel until the application was successful.
Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, anyone in the UK with a spare room or home can register their interest in hosting someone as long as they can offer accommodation for at least six months.
Mr Fox said he has already been told of potential job opportunities for Vlad.
He told PA news agency: ‘It was just a definite relief. It’s been quite torturous the past week.
‘So to actually get him here and to kind of close that chapter and (move) onto the new chapter, that was nice.
‘It was a nice feeling for sure. But there’s still work to be done.’
Vlad has already struck up a relationship with his cockapoo before falling asleep in Mr Fox’s Poulton-le-Fylde home after his arrival
Mr Fox, an artistic director for a group of hotels in Blackpool, made contact with Vlad – who was in Poland when the government enforced conscription – online before the pair met in person in Krakow.
He said: ‘Initially, I went with kind of a motto that I need to make sure that I’ve got a connection with somebody, because I don’t want to have somebody in my home that I don’t have that initial connection with.
‘But as soon as I met him, even before speaking to him, I just saw the desperation in his eyes, and I knew that I needed to help, so he was the one.’
As Vlad does not speak English, Mr Fox said it’s been helpful for him to have the dog around.
‘(The dog) has actually really taken to Vlad, as soon as he arrived they built this relationship,’ he added.
‘I think because of the language barrier it’s good for him to have the dog.
‘We’ve come back to the house and he’s gone straight to bed. He’s literally just woken up now.
Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, anyone in the UK with a spare room or home can register their interest in hosting someone as long as they can offer accommodation for at least six months
‘It must have been absolutely exhausting.
‘And God bless the vulnerable people, and the elderly, and the children that are having to live under those circumstances right now. It’s heart-breaking.’
He encouraged others with spare room to offer it to a refugee if they can, saying ‘Poland is at capacity’ and is ‘going to sink very, very soon’.
He added: ‘You can’t just take one country and put it in another country and expect everything to be okay. It’s just not achievable.
‘Anybody that does have a spare room, just be human and offer it if you can. If you’ve got that availability and you’re comfortable then go for it.
‘Take that risk, because to help somebody else is the biggest achievement.’
Mr Fox plans to continue volunteering and to use the money he has raised.
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