Ukraine: Wrexham man buys £100k house for refugee family

It is hoped Maria and her three sons will be able to move into the property within the next 10 days

A man has bought a house for a family who have fled Ukraine.

Jamie Hughes purchased the £100,000 three-bedroom property in Wrexham to show his support for those escaping the Russia-Ukraine war.

After taking to social media to offer to sponsor refugees, he was linked up with a family of four who fled their home in Ukraine two weeks ago.

Maria and her boys, aged 10, 12 and 14 hope, to move in by 10 April if their visas are confirmed on time.

Now the community are doing all they can to get the house ready for their arrival.

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Jamie Hughes is "the most kind-hearted man", says family friend Julie Simkins

Mr Hughes, who started a telecoms company at 21, said he had decided to do what he could to help because it was "absolutely devastating watching millions of people fleeing - the bombs going off".

His first thought was to convert an annex in his own home with a view to offer the space to a refugee family.

But he said it would have taken about two years, been too cramped and lacking in privacy.

So, he said he went to look at some empty properties "and I made an offer and bought one".

'Couldn't believe it'

Mr Hughes found "fantastic" Renatta, a woman who has already helped house 53 refugees, when he took to Facebook offering to sponsor a refugee family.

She put the property owner in contact with Maria, who was forced to flee Ukraine after "bombs started going off 10 miles from her house".

The family told Mr Hughes cruise missiles were flying just miles from their home

Maria said she "couldn't believe it" and told Mr Hughes he was "so kind".

She also told him "you've done enough" when he offered money to help with her escape out of the country.

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Currently, Maria and her sons are still in western Ukraine but are making their way to a refugee camp in Poland.

From there they can register for papers to become refugees and get to the UK.

Julie Simkins say they now have enough donations to furnish the property

'They'll be made a fuss of'

Family friend Julie Simkins has been helping organise the efforts to get the house ready through a Facebook group called Wrexham and Ukraine United.

She said the community had been "absolutely incredible", adding: "They've been rallying round to help with donations and are ready to embrace her and the boys."

She said thanks to the sofas, beds, washing machines and fridge freezers that have been gifted, "we're pretty much good to go with furnishing the entire house now".

Mr Hughes said Maria, who worked in anaesthetics at a Ukrainian hospital, will be put in touch with people at the local hospital with the hope of finding her a job.

She will also be enrolling in an intensive English course on her arrival in the UK.

The boys, who are football lovers, have something else to look forward to upon their arrival in the town.

After contacting Wrexham AFC, Mr Hughes said they have pledged to "make a fuss of them, kit them out - make them feel welcome and a part of the community".

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