A UKRAINIAN national from Appleshaw who has raised £15,000 for humanitarian aid since the war in Ukraine began has been reunited with her goddaughter who has arrived in the UK.

As previously reported, Olga Kott organised a peaceful demonstration in Salisbury on February 27, which brought together hundreds of supporters of the Ukrainian cause. From there, she launched a fundraiser which has raised almost £15,000 to date.

The mother-of-two who is originally from the city of Zaporizhzhya in south-east Ukraine, watched on ‘heartbroken’ as her family and friends remained trapped in the country.

Olga, who runs a soft furnishings business and has lived in the UK for 15 years, has now welcomed her 18-year-old goddaughter Liza to the UK.

Thanks to the kindness of a local GP who decided to drive to Poland to collect refugees, Liza, along with Olga’s university friend Katerina and her daughter, have been transported safely to Hampshire.

Olga said that Liza, who lived opposite her family home in Ukraine, is “like a child” to her.

Olga applied for a visa for Liza, who waited anxiously with a host family in Poland until it was granted exactly one month later.

“She had just started university and she had never even been out of the country so it was huge excitement,” said Olga.

You can read the full story and reaction in this week's paper. Also in this week's edition:

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  • An Andover teenager and member of youth parliament has spoken out about the role of young people’s voices in the ongoing discussion surrounding anti-social behaviour in the town.
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  • A former mayor of Andover has taken a step back from the town council’s committee’s and panels, accusing some members of being “insanely undemocratic”.
  • A nursery near Andover has been highly praised by inspectors and has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted following a recent visit.
  • An experienced postmaster has officially opened a brand new Post Office branch in Andover.
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