On Friday 13th May, Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP, made a visit to meet with the Paliura family (whom his office helped bring over to Wales) and Maryna Ustymenko who have fled the conflict in Ukraine with Russia, and travelled to Trevor and Llangollen respectively.
Mr Baynes met with the Paliura family - Volodymr and Lidiia Paliura (grandparents), Nataliia and Anastasiia Minaieva (mother and daughter), Tetiana Paliura (daughter) and her two children, Andrii and Kateryna Maliuk – who have been welcomed into the home of their sponsor Sarah O’Brien near Trevor. He also met with Maryna Ustymenko, who speaks fluent English (having been a teacher in Ukraine), and her sponsor Kim Evans from Llangollen.
During the visit, they discussed the ongoing issues experienced by Ukrainian refugees with their visa applications, and the welcome and support they have received from the community in Clwyd South.
Sarah O’Brien and Kim Evans said:
“This is a very rewarding experience and we both feel we have gained life long friends and extra family members.”
Commenting after the visit, Simon Baynes MP said:
“As the local MP, I was very grateful to have the opportunity to meet our new Ukrainian friends and to welcome them to our community in Clwyd South. I was delighted to hear that since arriving they have been made to feel very welcome. I also want to thank Sarah O’Brien and Kim Evans and their families for welcoming the Paliura family and Maryna Ustymenko into their homes and for the kindness they have shown them since fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. My office has been very pleased to help them and other families come to Clwyd South and is always available to help others from Ukraine in the same way in the future.”
