The Hedge End family who stepped in to welcome Ukrainians

And when the Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched, Rachel and Matt Whitfield didn't hesitate to come forward.

The pair, aged 41 and 42, had a spare room they were keen to put to good use after the eldest of their five children moved out.

READ MORE: Why Ukrainians are finding it impossible to rent houses in Southampton

Rachel said: “We watch the news every night, and we watched this massive wave of misery engulf Europe in a way that I never thought we'd see again in our lifetime.

“And I knew that we couldn't fix what was happening, but we could help a little bit.”

“And it just felt like the right thing to do,” she added.

Viktoria Vituik and Polina (Image: Rachel Whitfield)

They decided to sign up to welcome a Ukrainian family with the help of Reset UK, and in April they welcomed Viktoria Vituik and her daughter Polina from Kyiv.

Recalling the first few days, Rachel said: “Every time a plane went over, they would flinch and if we had the news on and it was about Ukraine, they would become very desolate and withdrawn.

“As they've been here longer, it's kind of quite obvious their mental health has improved a lot and they don't flinch now when the planes go over.

“I think the most difficult thing, in the beginning, was the language barrier.”

READ MORE: One year on, have we become too used to the war in Ukraine?

The mother and daughter were visibly shaken by the journey they went through having driven from Ukraine to Poland before flying to Bristol where they were they met their hosts.

Rachel said: “The journey across Europe had been a frightening one.

“I know Viktoria stayed awake from almost all of it because she was worried people would try and take her daughter.”

In due time, however, Viktoria and Polina started to feel more at home with Rachel and her family and started calling the UK their “second home”.

Family picture during Rachel's husband's birthday, Matt, in November. (Image: Rachel Whitfield)

READ MORE: The Ukrainian students who have found happiness in Southampton

Almost a year later, the 36-year-old Ukrainian looks back with gratitude for being able to come to Southampton where she is now learning English.

Viktoria said: “When I first arrived in England, I had one plan to go home, but the more we live the more I realised that life changes so much.

“The war continues and what I’m starting to think is that I’ll probably even have to stay longer than I expected. I loved this country very much and I can confidently say this is my second home.

“This homeland has done so much for me that I do not even know why.”

She confessed it still hurts to hear what’s happening in Ukraine, especially with her family still there. This has led her to stop watching the news.

She said: “I read the news a lot at first, but it hurts a lot even here.

“I cried very often [because] of this so I now try not to read the news and only to communicate with my relatives so that they tell me from one mouth about what is happening.”

Ahead of the first anniversary of the invasion, Rachel said they will likely have a “delicious” Ukrainian meal cooked by Viktoria.