“I am a patriot,” Tony Kearne said. “I just thought it was my chance to stand up and help the traumatized.”
“I’m too old to fight,” the 59-year-old added. “So I want to do the next best thing and help these women and children who are in danger, while their husbands fight.”
Tony and his girlfriend jumped at the opportunity to help Ukrainian refugees, applying for a government grant program to organize a family as soon as possible.
They are paired with Kateryna Omnirfryk and her mother Natalya Omnirfryk, along with three young children.
But the beds Tony had prepared weeks ago remained empty as he waited for the Home Office to issue visas to the Omnirfryk family.
Tony applied for a visa for the Omnirfryks himself, but 40 days later, only four of the five visas were granted, meaning the family was stranded in Poland.
“Four visas were approved but the fifth visa was not,” he said.
Meanwhile, Omnirfryks has run out of cash while waiting for the Home Office to issue a final visa.
Tony has now spent more than £2,500 providing them with shelter and essentials such as food and diapers.
Tony said Kateryna “never asked for money”, but without financial support, their only option was to “go back to Ukraine”.
He said he was happy to split the money if it meant getting his sponsored family safely to the UK – but he couldn’t forgive the government for the delay.
Natalya Omnirfryk with her two eldest children in Poland
“The slowness, the bureaucracy, the speed bumps and the lack of communication. I stepped up, but now I feel overwhelmed by the government,” said Tony.
These are sentiments shared by Derek Atkins, who is sponsoring Zoryana Fesyk and her three children aged 11, 13 and 17, and who applied for the grant on March 29.
“As we embark on this journey, I am delighted to be supporting this family,” Derek said. “But honestly, I don’t think it’s going to cost £2,500.”
Derek says through help from family and friends, he got the house ready for his new guests over a month ago.
“But instead of this family in it, we had to spend £2,500 on hotels and hostels in Warsaw.”
He said he spent weeks emailing and calling “every helpline we could think of”, but said the entire system had been an “absolute disgrace”.
Derek said: “I feel very strongly that this government has been deeply disgraced. And I speak on behalf of hundreds of people.”
Tony Kearne has spent more than £2,500 providing the Omnirfryks with accommodation and essential needs
Enver Solomon, Executive Director of the Refugee Council, says the current visa program is “not fit for purpose”.
“I think it’s horrible that the British public has to put their hands in their pockets to pay people because they can’t get to the UK quickly.”
He said he thought the government had relied heavily on the goodwill of the British public, ready to open “their hearts and homes” to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
But says the government has failed to provide simple, safe, fast routes for Ukrainians to the UK.
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A Home Office spokesman told Sky News: “The British public has generously welcomed thousands of Ukrainians into their homes and sponsoring households will receive a payment of £350 a month for their home. There is no expectation that people should pay for hotel rooms to receive Ukrainians.
“To date more than 95,000 visas have been issued by the Home Office, with more than 37,000 Ukrainians having arrived in the UK safely and thanks to the changes made to streamline the service we are now processing thousands of visas every day.”
