A mum who welcomed Ukrainian refugees into her home last year says they have become "family for life" - and taking them in was the "best decision".<br /><br />Single mum Aimee Stott, 30, made the decision to take in a mother and her child fleeing Ukraine last year.<br /><br />After finding them on social media, Aimee and her two sons welcomed Olesia Skora, 35, and her four-year-old son into their home.<br /><br />Aimee, from Bridgend, South Wales, even paid for their flights to bring them over to the UK in April 2022.<br /><br />Ten months on, Aimee, a stay-at-home mum, says it was the "best decision" and Olesia and her son are now "family".<br /><br />They are even looking to find a home of their own - and while she's happy for them, Aimee said she "can't imagine them not being here".<br /><br />Aimee said: "When we first met, Olesia and her son couldn't speak a word of English - we used miming and animal noises to communicate.<br /><br />Aimee first spoke to Olesia back when the war first started, after Aimee made a post offering a room for refugees on a Facebook page.<br /><br />Olesia and her son, whose name they didn't want to share, had been at risk of bombardment at their home in Dnipro.<br /><br />Aimee said: "I was talking to her on Facebook messenger and at one point Olesia said she had to run off because she heard a siren.<br /><br />Olesia and her son took a two-day train ride from their home to Lviv, Ukraine, and from there took another train to Przemysl, Poland and then to Katowice.<br /><br />After battling paperwork, they flew from Katowice to Bristol airport after Aimee booked them tickets.<br /><br />She met her two new houseguests for the first time on April 12 last year.<br /><br />Olesia and her son moved into Aimee's spare room with just a rucksack each, having left behind Olesia's husband and their whole family.<br /><br />The refugees would first communicate with their hosts using Google Translate as well as making noises and miming.<br /><br />Over the months the two single-parent families bonded as the Ukrainians learnt English and began to build their new life.<br /><br />Ten months on, Aimee considers Olesia a "sister" and says her two sons Oscar, 10, and Harrison, eight, see Olesia's son as a brother.<br /><br />Aimee considers it her "best decision" and the two families are as close as if they were related by blood.<br /><br />The former refugees are now both settled in the UK, having learnt English, and Olesia has a job working into a school kitchen.<br /><br />Aimee revealed Olesia and her son are even now on the hunt for their own place, having built a new life.
