As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, two young Ukrainian swimmers have been given a place of refuge at the Richmond Dales Amateur Swimming Club in Richmond, England.
Tymofii and Tkyhnon, along with their mother, Irina, have been welcomed to Richmond Dales ASC as part of the UK’s Ukrainian resettlement scheme. Formerly based in Kyiv, the two young male swimmers will have access to Richmond and Catterick pools for training sessions and other support.
The club’s board pledged to waive membership fees for both swimmers, allowing them to train and continue their swimming careers. Along with Swim England, which has also agreed to waive the boys’ annual membership fees, the club is also raising money via a Go Fund Me page to pay for the family’s flight into the UK from Bulgaria.
Keith Hall, coach at Richmond Dales ASC, said: “The whole club community has been touched by the crisis taking place in Ukraine.
“At the outset of the war, club members raised £1,900 in under 24 hours and used the money to buy essential supplies.
“We then drove the supplies across Europe and into Poland as part of the Catterick and Colburn community effort, headed by Councillor Angie Dale.”
Hall added: “As soon as we heard that a club member was taking a refugee family into their home we knew we wanted to help, and the fact that the boys are keen swimmers made us able to do this more easily.
“As ever, the whole club has come together along with some very generous friends like NESS Swimwear and Swim England.
“We hope that enabling the boys to join our supportive club will help them settle into their new environment and transition into UK life.” (Richmondshire Today)
The Go Fund Me page that has been set up to raise money to cover the costs of the family’s flights into the UK can be found here.
