{"id":2661,"date":"2022-03-15T13:14:06","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T13:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worabia.com\/news\/top-trends\/2661\/"},"modified":"2022-03-15T13:14:06","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T13:14:06","slug":"ukraine-uk-refugee-hosting-scheme-mum-of-four-opens-home-to-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worabia.com\/news\/top-trends\/2661\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine UK refugee hosting scheme: Mum-of-four opens home to refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Mandi and John Arnold were curled up on the sofa in their Shropshire home, watching a movie about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Netflix. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It struck a chord with the mother of four: She and John were born in 1986, the same year as the disaster. So later that week, when Mandi saw news of millions of Ukrainians fleeing their homes to escape Russian attacks, including in the Chernobyl area, she jumped at the chance to help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“From the moment this all started to evolve, my heart went straight to them and I thought that if I could help someone, I would do it without reservation,” he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On Monday night, Mandi, 35, was among nearly 90,000 people who registered their interest in a new visa scheme that allows people in the UK to host Ukrainian refugees in their own homes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many of those who have signed up to help do so because their children have grown up, moved away from home, and have some extra space.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But Mandi’s house is a pretty hectic place to be. She and John live with her sons, one-year-old Presley and four-year-old Phoenix, and Mandi’s nine-year-old daughter, Amalia, not to mention her cat Nala and Oakley the Labrador.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s a pretty busy household anyway, it’s constantly on the go,” says Mandi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Adding more would just be more love, more memories.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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