Briton welcomes Ukrainian refugee into his home after ‘torturous’ wait
Max Fox has welcomed 26-year-old Vlad into his home.
A British man has described the “relief” he felt after welcoming a Ukrainian refugee into his home in Lancashire.
Max Fox, 32, who lives with his partner in Poulton-le-Fylde, welcomed Vlad, 26, to the UK as he landed at Manchester Airport on Friday.
“Well it was just a definite relief,” Mr Fox told the PA news agency.
“It’s been quite torturous the past week. So to actually get him here and to kind of close that chapter and (move) onto the new chapter, that was nice.
“It was a nice feeling for sure. But there’s still work to be done.”
Mr Fox, an artistic director for a group of hotels in Blackpool, made contact with Vlad – who was in Poland when the government enforced conscription – online before the pair met in person in Krakow.
“Initially, I went with kind of a motto that I need to make sure that I’ve got a connection with somebody, because I don’t want to have somebody in my home that I don’t have that initial connection with,” he said.
“But as soon as I met him, even before speaking to him, I just saw the desperation in his eyes, and I knew that I needed to help, so he was the one.”
“(The dog) has actually really taken to Vlad, as soon as he arrived they built this relationship,” said Mr Fox.
“I think because of the language barrier it’s good for him to have the dog.
“We’ve come back to the house and he’s gone straight to bed. He’s literally just woken up now.
“It must have been absolutely exhausting.
“And God bless the vulnerable people, and the elderly, and the children that are having to live under those circumstances right now. It’s heart-breaking.”
He encouraged others with spare room to “be human and offer it if you can” stressing that Poland is reaching capacity.
“Poland is at capacity. It’s going to sink very, very soon,” he said.
“You can’t just take one country and put it in another country and expect everything to be okay. It’s just not achievable.
“Anybody that does have a spare room, just be human and offer it if you can. If you’ve got that availability and you’re comfortable then go for it.
“Take that risk, because to help somebody else is the biggest achievement.”
