Family from Ukraine fires noon day gun

Biola Ameri and her husband, Ivor, visited the island with their daughters, Gabriella, 9, and Daniella, 8, after living in the UK with a host family for 16 months.

Mr Ameri fired the gun while holding a Ukraine flag inscribed with the words ‘thank you, England, for supporting us’.

‘After everything that has happened in Ukraine, being that close to the gun and the sound of it was quite scary for me, but it’s clear this is a very loved and traditional event in beautiful Guernsey,’ said Mrs Ameri.

The family were living in Kyiv when the war started on 24 February last year. They moved to several different locations to escape the bombing before Mrs Ameri and her two daughters went to the UK a few weeks later, initially without her husband.

‘We went to our summerhouse not far from Kyiv and then the soldiers came and we made the decision that I should leave with my daughters,’ she said.

‘First it was Moldova, then Romania, but luckily I had a travel visa because my sister lives in Scotland and we had visited in January before everything happened.

‘We spent 10 months in the UK without my husband, until he got the eligibility to leave because of his medical condition when he joined us.

‘It was so good to be back together, especially for the girls, because they spent nearly a year without their dad.’

For the past 16 months, the family has been hosted by a Rotary Club member in Alton. The Rotary Club of Guernsey first made contact with them over a year ago.

‘Rotary Guernsey spoke to Biola and their Rotarian hosts about the possibility of giving them a break in Guernsey, should the war continue and they were to remain homeless,’ said Rotary International team lead Chris Roberts.

‘This was felt to be very important, not only for the family, but also for the Rotarians who are hosting full time.’

The Ameri family are staying in the island with two local Rotarian families. They are also visiting Herm and Sark, kayaking and candle making.