Almost a year after they arrived at the Blackmores' four-bed Norfolk home from war-torn Ukraine, the Urievas say their two families have one big one, of seven people. CHRIS BISHOP reports
Ira Yurieva will never forget the day Russian soldiers came to her town. They ordered her and her family to the ground at gun-point after threatening to shoot them, while they interrogated them and searched their house for weapons.
Ms Urieva broke down as she told her terrifying story, in the Victorian terrace on the outskirts of King's Lynn where she has found a home with host family, journalist David and businesswoman Abby Blackmore.
The 39-year-old journalist and kindergarten owner was at home with her husband Dima and 15-year-old daughter Dasha when troop carriers rolled into the outskirts of Makariv, west of Kyiv, in the early weeks of the invasion.
"It was in the middle of the day and this terrible day is hard to forget," she said. "They knocked on our door and threatened to shoot us if we didn’t do what they asked us."
The family were ordered to lie on the ground outside while soldiers searched their home.
”At this moment, in my head, I hoped that if we were to die, it would be instant.“
The Russians left after ransacking the property. Elsewhere in Makariv there were executions and rapes.
The couple decided Ms Urieva and Dasha would leave the country, while Mr Urieva would remain.
Ms Urieva set off with Dasha and Cleo the family's cat in her Volvo, whose rear windscreen had been shattered by a shell falling near her home.
After obtaining visas and paperwork in Poland, they headed for England, via Germany and the Netherlands, and contacted a friend in King's Lynn, who put them in touch with the Blackmores.
Mother-of-three Mrs Blackmore, 37, said: "Someone in the Woottons had set up a Facebook page. I wrote on there we had a space for a small family."
"It was all down to Facebook," said Mrs Blackmore. "We didn't have money to give to the collections but we realised if we re-jigged the kids around we could help someone."
Daughters Elodie, 10, and her four-year-old sister Ottilie now share a bedroom in the Blackmores' four-bed home.
Their brother Arlo, aged seven, shares his parents' bedroom, freeing up space for the Urievas.
"I didn't know how it was going to work, but I was already feeding five so feeding seven wouldn't be too much more," said Mrs Blackmore.
The Blackmores currently receive £450 a month towards the cost of caring for the Urievas.
"The government money just about covers the additional costs of hosting Ira and Dasha," said Mrs Blackmore.
Ms Urieva is studying English at the College of West Anglia. Dasha attends a nearby high school.
"For me it was so hard because it meant separating from my husband," said Ms Urieva.
"We had been together for 20 years. We worked together, we cooked together, we travelled together, we were together every day."
The couple keep in touch when Mr Urieva can access the internet.
She added: “David and Abby have really helped us adapt to life in Norfolk. We cannot thank them enough for making us feel at home.
“Two families have merged into one big family, and we are very grateful to them for opening up their home and their hearts."
Like many of the hundreds who have made their home in Norfolk thanks to host families, Ms Urieva does not know when or even if she will ever be able to return home.
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