A UKRAINIAN lawyer working as a cleaner at Butlin's has urged the Government to put in place long-term plans for the future of Ukrainian refugees in the UK.

Svitlana Hurska, 42, from Kyiv, has been living and working in Minehead since fleeing the Ukraine war in October 2022 with her four children, aged five, ten, 16, and 18.

Speaking in Dulverton on Wednesday, October 2, during a constituency visit from Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, Svitlana shared her plea for more "stability" to be given to Ukrainians in the UK.

Svitlana told the MPs: "We have an answer from the government that they will renew our visa for 18 months, but it is not enough to plan our future.

"It's very frustrating for all Ukrainians who are here now, there are more than 200 in Minehead and the local area.

"We would like to be useful in this country, all of us are very educated and skilled, and we would like to understand what we should expect from the future here. Don't let us swim in the sea of uncertainty."

Ed Davey responded: "My heart goes out to everyone in Ukraine, and we will stand with you. There's been a cross-party consensus on it, to make sure we work with European colleagues and hopefully North American colleagues to help Ukraine."

He added that, as a host of a Ukrainian fleeing war, he'd seen first-hand how one of the challenges is "getting the Government to be rational, as we have a lot of people in this country who have the skills to contribute more, but we're not using them."

Fleeing Ukrainians were offered visas granting three years' leave in the UK under programmes such as Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Extension Scheme and the Ukraine Family Scheme  — all schemes closed to applicants earlier this year.

Most recently, an 18-month visa extension scheme was announced and will open in 2025, but the future for Ukrainian nationals in the UK following that remains "uncertain".

Speaking to the Gazette after the MPs' visit, Svitlana said: "It sounds very promising, and I think Ed Davey will try to make some effort to manage this problem. All Ukrainians feel very frustrated as we can't make plans for the future.

"For example, my eldest daughter is 18 and very intelligent, she finished her Ukrainian education last year online. We're trying to understand what would be better for her in the future, so we would like to continue her education here and try to apply for a university loan. But we're not sure that if the government says 'no you won't be able to stay here for longer' we'll be able to pay for education here because it is so expensive [for international students]."

Svitlana added: "We're not lazy people, all of us are educated with good skills, but it's quite difficult to find jobs here because some people have language barriers, some have mental health issues because of the war where we left our relatives and friends - and starting a new life from zero now is hard.

"I left my parents in Ukraine, I'm very worried about them every single day. There is no safe place in Ukraine, there are still bombs every day in Kyiv."

Svitlana said: "We're trying to be a part of society, I volunteer in charity shops and have been canvassing with Minehead's MP Rachel Gilmour. We want to create a future for us and our children."

Due to differences in the legal system, Svitlana would need to study for "several years" to gain the qualifications she needs to practice law in the UK. She completed Level 2 English Functional Skills at West Somerset College.

In the meantime, Svitlana is hoping her small bakery business will continue to thrive at the local markets she attends  — including the Dunster Christmas Bazaar on November 30, and Williton and Minehead markets.

Svitlana said: "I've opened a small business called Apple Cake Bakery. Last year I found that a lot of apples are wasted in the area, and Somerset is quite famous for its apples. So I've tried to make something useful for the local people, and it's quite similar to Ukrainian sweets named Zefir. Gluten-free, fat-free, milk-free, and flour-free. It's now becoming quite popular in Minehead."

Svitlana thanks her host Benet Allen, a former Taunton councillor who provided her family housing for six months and who she now rents a property from.

She added: "Benet has played a crucial role in Rachel Gilmour's election campaign and continues to play a big part in local Liberal Democrat activities. He has a great future, this is the person who makes things happen."