A HUSBAND and wife from Basingstoke have been desperately trying to bring a family fleeing Ukraine to the safety of the UK.

Neil and Maria Pouney have been sponsoring a young mother and her one-and-a-half-year-old child who have fled Kyiv after their home was bombed following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Neil said: “We have been sponsoring a young mother and her daughter who we have been connecting with now for about two weeks.

“We have been chatting online and the little one is only one and a half and they managed to make it to Warsaw and to the visa application centre but she does not have an international passport. She is in a hostel in Warsaw at the moment having a pretty rough time.”

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On Tuesday, the pair heard that the youngster and her mother had fallen ill.

He added: “Unfortunately they are in a hostel with no laundry facilities, and she is trying to wash her clothes in the sink, so we just thought we have to go out there.”

Maria flew out to Warsaw on Wednesday and is due to fly home today (Sunday), hoping to bring the family with her.

Neil said: “We are just trying our best to make things better for them and she flew with Wizz Air who are allowing refugees to fly back for free. We did pay for a suitcase and filled it with pants, medicines, chocolate and all the essential things and Maria is finding it so emotional."

Maria who spoke to the Gazette while in Warsaw said there “are hundreds of children and families” who need help.

She added: “Mum is also poorly, and she has lost over a stone in weight, which has had an impact on her breastfeeding and that’s the babies only source of the nutrients.

SEE ALSO: Homes for Ukraine scheme: New Facebook group helps families navigate the experience together

“She become homeless and I flew over on Wednesday and booked a bed and breakfast to look after them and the little girl has been in hospital since the day I arrived, it took us over six hours in the medical centre and there were hundreds of children.

“There were just hundreds of kids who were sick, and the doctors were working hard and I went shopping for them and brought food and have been at the visa desk every day.”

She said she is not scared and would break arm and leg to help these families.

The pair, who have been married for 15 years, hope the family can come and live with them when they are allowed to fly.

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