Ukraine war: Family-of-five celebrate Easter in Somerset

Mr Dury contacted the Home Office over the delays to three-year-old Egor's visa to travel

A family fleeing the war in Ukraine who waited four weeks for visas, have enjoyed Easter celebrations to welcome them to their new home in the UK.

Steve Dury is hosting a family-of-five from Kharkiv and said they had celebrated Easter with traditional cakes, a barbecue and bike rides.

Mr Dury, from Langport, Somerset, added that three-year-old Egor has already made a friend in the family dog, Maya.

"He's got a great sense of humour, he loves to laugh," said Mr Dury.

The local government officer collected the family from Bristol Airport on Tuesday after they were kept waiting for a month for Egor's visa to be processed.

Steve Dury is hosting the family-of-five who fled the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

He is also hosting Liudmyla Tarasenko and her 15-year-old daughter Daria, Liudmyla's 27-year-old niece and Egor's mother, Yulia Svichkar, as well as 13-year-old Denys.

They have been "keen to cook Ukrainian dishes" and show their culture through family recipes, said Mr Dury.

"It's really, really nice to be exposed to Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian food and have interesting conversations with them.

"They have a traditional family recipe that's been passed down by their grandparents. Liudmyla has promised to make this lovely cake as an Easter treat for us all.

"They're happy to be able to join in and do something to mark it," said Mr Dury.

Egor is already firm friends with Mr Dury's dog Maya

The community welcomed the family to the area with a barbecue on Saturday to give refugees staying in the area a chance to meet and speak Ukrainian.

Their Easter plans also include a bicycle ride in the countryside after a local shop offered free hire of bicycles for the day.

Mr Dury thanked the bike shop and others in the area for their generosity as the family settle into his home.