A UKRAINIAN family needs urgent work on their home.

The family of four came to Allendale, Hexham last year after they fled Ukraine.

While they were waiting at a border for their VISA approval, a property owner gave permission for a community group to renovate his old bungalow for the Ukrainian family who has a son with mobility issues.

The work was organised under the government ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme and several Allendale residents took aid supplies to the Ukraine border.

However, now the building is in a poor state and the owner is calling for community help to fix serious issues, so the family does not need to move out.

The property owner said: “The family had special needs which meant that they needed to live in a bungalow, and because of the voluntary efforts of people from the area an unoccupied bungalow, scheduled for demolition, was quickly repaired so that it was fit for use by the family when they arrived.

“They have lived here safely since, but unfortunately, the building has deteriorated to the state where the damp is such that they will need to move out unless repairs are done. 

“The special needs of the family are such that the local council would be unable, in the short term, to find accommodation suitable for them all and so remedial work is urgently needed. 

“The immediate need is to have windows replaced with UPVC double glazing.  Some of the window frames are rotting, and the arrangements we had in place for this work have fallen through.

“I am desperately trying to find a way of having the windows fixed before Christmas, but I have been told that it will take up to three months before the work can be done.

“I am looking now for help from a builder to get it completed as soon as possible.  The interior of the bungalow is damp, and the son of the family is poorly, so the work is urgent.

“The government has provided very limited funding, some of which can go towards the cost of the repairs, and although the budget is small, I am not expecting this work to be unpaid.  However, the majority of the costs will have to come out of my own pocket. “

If you can help – please contact the Hexham Courant on 07880059275 or samantha.teasdale@newsquest.co.uk to be passed on to the property owner.