A group of Ukrainian people who fled the war and spend each day helping those affected in their country have made it to Liverpool for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Last year, after it was announced that Liverpool would host the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, Tim Johnson, who lives in the city centre, embarked on a hugely ambitious plan to bring a group of aid workers to the city to enjoy the festivities.
Tim, 37, and his Polish fiancé began carrying out aid work during a visit to Poland last year as hundreds of thousands of refugees arrived in the country neighbouring Ukraine. He met teams of volunteers from Poland and others from Ukraine who, despite their own problems, were determined to help others impacted by the Russian invasion.
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The IT Consultant, originally from Chester, decided the selfless aid workers deserved something to look forward to and has spent the past six months working tirelessly to arrange visas to get the group to Liverpool to enjoy an amazing range of activities during the Eurovision week.
The group have been inundated with offers from companies offering trips, accommodation and activities for the group to enjoy while they are in the UK. This includes donated tours of Anfield Stadium, the Royal Liver Building, Mersey Ferries and a city sightseeing bus tour before the group head to London for a speedboat ride on the Thames and a ride on the London Eye.
They will attend the rehearsals for the semi-final and final of the song contest before enjoying the final at the Pier Head Eurovision Village. They will be staying at the Hanover Hotel during their time in Liverpool.
The ECHO met with Tim and the group ahead their reception with Lord Mayor Roy Gladden. Tim said: "I am absolutely over the moon to have them here, it is fantastic to see the guys smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves.
"The whole aim of the trip was to give the guys a break from the war and everything they have been doing. It doesn't mean they forget what's going on, but it gives them a chance to relax and enjoy the Eurovision events here in Liverpool.
"People are still suffering massively in Ukraine and we also want to draw attention to everything that's going on to make sure people still provide the support for the Ukrainian cause."
Tim's first experience of aid work came when he was visiting his partner's mother in Poland last year and decided to buy £100 worth of supplies to take to a donation collection centre. He said: "I just saw enormous queues of people, mainly women and children with just the queues on their back, people with injuries - I couldn't just walk away and I've been involved ever since. I go over roughly once a month."
Speaking about the extensive planning ahead of the group's this week, he added: "The visa process is not easy, the guys from the Ukraine have to go to Warsaw and have their passports taken off them for five days, meaning they can't leave during that time. It's a complex process.
"I wanted to give them an action packed week while they were here and people have been so generous, everyone has been incredible. Mike Cox, the manager of the Hanover Hotel has put them up for free all week, he came to meet them all at the airport. Amazing."
"Mike Cox, manager of the Hanover Hotel has very kindly given us rooms and accommodation for all the visitors and he’s done it for basically cost price."
Tim added: "The guys are loving the city, they feel relaxed here, that is the most important thing. I haven't seen them smile for a long time. On the first night here one of them said it was the first night in a long time she hadn't had to worry about rockets. That's what their reality is."
One of the group is 23-year-old Daniil, who had arrived in Poland as part of an exchange programme just three days before the war started. He has remained in Poland ever since but his entire family are still in Ukraine.
He said: "From the very beginning, I was calling my parents trying to find out what was happening. I saw the news and I did not believe this could happen.
"From the beginning we started helping refugees arriving in Poland to find food and shelter. Then we moved to another city in Poland and started helping people at a big arena where donations are collected. My whole family is still in Ukraine. I am now working as a doctor in Poland and can send help and money home to help them and others."
Speaking about their trip to see Eurovision in Liverpool, he added: "We thought from the beginning that the UK would be the best country for Eurovision. We are getting huge support from this country. We can see the support everywhere.
"It means a lot to us, it is very heart-warming for us that the people in this country have not forgotten about Ukraine. They have not forgotten that the war is continuing in our country. It is really sad. We really need support to make sure our nation continues to exist."
Another Ukrainian member of the group, 22-year-old Yana, said: "Liverpool is a beautiful city, there are a lot of open and beautiful people here helping us.
"We want to tell people that the war is not stopping, we want to tell the truth about this situation to everyone. We are very happy to be here but we can never forget about the war in our country."
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