Reunite Families UK is raising money to help British based families with Ukrainian family members who have been hit hard by unexpected huge costs incurred trying to bring their families to safety due to the appalling inaction of the British government.

On 24th February, war broke out in Ukraine and families were forced to flee from their homes carrying anything they could and make their way to any border they could get to. Here in the UK their family members lives were also thrown into turmoil as they sought to find anyway they could to help their loved ones to safety. At the same time the UK government set up a new Family Visa Scheme to allow a very limited group of family members into the UK and an application process that proved not fit for purpose leaving 1000's of Ukrainian citizens - mostly women and children to seek any refuge they could in any country that they could physically get to with their vulnerable elderly and young relatives.

With SO little support from the British government, their families in the UK were given no choice but to drop their their lives, their jobs in the UK to travel 1000s of miles to Europe to find and help their loved ones. The government's lack of action and help for Ukrainians fleeing war has become a national shame for Britons and the family visa scheme has ultimately caused not just personal distress for all those trying to navigate it but now it has come at great financial cost.

Roxy has spent a small fortune - money she could not afford - trying to bring her sister and 10 month old nephew back to the UK. She travelled from Cardiff to Calais to find her sister and 10 month old nephew. But their visa quest did not end there. Due to no visa centres in Calais they then had to travel to Paris however the chaos in France led her sister to miss her visa appointment and with no others available they were told to go to drive to Warsaw in Poland. The situation there was worse so they were advise to travel to Berlin in order to get biometric appointment for her sister. In Berlin they have again been unable to make an appointment or even access the visa application (TLS) site. There is no accommodation as they are all full and people are sleeping in train stations - and unlike Poland there are no camps providing food, water or showers.

Many families have spent £1000's trying to get loved ones to safety and we are working with and helping many families like Roxy's during this crisis - people, who through no fault of their own, have been forced to leave their jobs, family and travel to Europe to find and help their Ukrainian loved ones find safe passage to the UK.

Where will your donations go?

We intend to donate a small lump sum to individuals who are within our membership who can show they have spent unexpected money on flights, hotels, fuel and will have ongoing financial expenses relating to the crisis . These donations will financially support them through what will be a very challenging year for their families who have had to flee a war zone and their British based families who will be dealing with rising household costs etc.

They will help those most hard hit financially to:

- aid travel/accommodation/food costs for their loved ones trapped in Europe

- help towards costs for accommodation/subsistence costs once in the UK

- help towards any legal/immigration advice that may be needed when transitioning from the 6 month visa to the 3 year visa