'They've just gone way above and beyond'

Oksana Bransgrove says hosts are very humble about what they are going when it is a huge thing to welcome a family into your home

Explaining to a child the planes flying over his Heacham home were not Russians coming to bomb them was not something Richard Gowland thought he would ever have to do.

He, along with 200 others in West Norfolk, volunteered for the Homes for Ukraine scheme offering to host Ukrainian families fleeing the Russian invasion of February 2022.

Ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council held a reception to thank host families.

It was organised by Oksana Bransgrove, who works with locals and new arrivals to make sure they get the support they need.

Richard Gowland from Heacham first met the Ukrainian family he took in on Facebook

Mr Gowland says his new arrivals were initially shocked when they arrived at his home in Heacham.

"I think they were surprised when they saw the house, because it's rather large," he said.

The husband, wife and little boy who came to live with him quickly settled in and remain there two years on.

Richard says they got lots of help from local councils to find them work and a school.

"He now goes to a school in Hunstanton where he's proved to be a star. So he's very happy. And the parents are happy as they have jobs," he said.

'A little thank you for a huge thing'

There are a lot of organisations working to make sure Ukrainians and their hosts get the help they need.

Norfolk County Council co-ordinates the scheme but it district councils that do the home visits and offer day-to-day support.

Ms Bransgrove is helping them with learning English, accessing services and whatever help they need.

"I think the Ukrainians have become a gem in King's Lynn because they are integrating," she said.

"They join in events and they are happy to be here. They're happy because they feel welcomed."

Oksana said the reception at King's Lynn Town Hall was "a little thank you for a huge thing".

Rebekah Bensley-Mills says it has been a privilege to work with hosts and their Ukrainian guests

Rebekah Bensley-Mills is from the borough council’s Lily project.

It is a service designed to support any vulnerable person living in West Norfolk.

She says some hosts have ended up feeling like their new additions are truly part of the family.

"I've been amazed. We've had hosts who have not only given them a room, access to a kitchen and a bathroom... the bare essentials... but who have put them on their car insurance, helped them find a job, got their children into school," she said.

"They've just gone way above and beyond."