A Ukrainian guest in Swindon has been brining comfort to an elderly woman from her homeland who is in a local care home.
Liliia Ponomarenko, a supermarket supervisor in Ukraine before she was forced to flee, is one of many Ukrainians who work with Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP).
She first heard about the elderly woman, Valentina, from a fellow volunteer.
Valentina's husband is being cared for by a family member in Cirencester, but for medical reasons the two cannot be in the same care home.
SHAP is working to ensure the two can meet as often as possible, but in the meantime Liliia ensure Valentina is not without company.
Speaking through an interpreter, Liliia said their first meeting was a very moving experrience for both women.
It is two-and-a-half years since Russia's unlawful invasion of their homeland, and SHAP was formed shortly afterwards.
Chair Mike Bowden said: "We have come from very humble and small beginnings
"More than two and a half years on from those early days when we were collecting clothes, sorting them, boxing them and sending them out to Ukraine, the situation in Ukraine is objectively more severe, certainly for the people living there.
"Lots and lots of people have been killed and maimed and the trauma goes on and on.
"In our local work we've all come to know our 300-plus locally-based Ukrainian visitors. We have helped them with a range of issues
"Systems that we take for granted are inevitably quirky, so whether you're trying to find accommodation or a host or get a dental appointment or a doctor's appointment, or you've got an agonising pain and need to go to the hospital, or you need help with a benefit application - or, or, or! - we've helped across the board with those things.
On an national level, SHAP's work has twice been mentioned in Parliamentary record Hansard and has liaised with organisations throughout the country.
It has also earned a growing international reputation, and recently sontributed to a 45-vehicle aid convoy, with Mr Bowen invited to speak alongside the Ukrainian Ambassador and other Ukrainian dignitaries.
Further information about the ongoing work of SHAP and how people can help that work can be found at www.shapuk.org/
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