The owner of a café in Aberfeldy has spoken about the “absolutely wonderful” Ukrainian family she opened her doors to this year.
And Zoe Dark, 54, also says the family have provided a great boost as her son Fynnlay, 22, fights non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Zoe was one of the first in Scotland to accommodate Ukrainian refugees after the Russian conflict began in February.
Just two months later, on April 21, Mariia Tsarenko, 31, and her children Ignat, 11, and David, 2, moved in with Zoe, husband George and their children.
So well have have they settled in Aberfeldy that Mariia wants to stay for good.
From next month she will begin working with Zoe at her Aberfeldy takeaway Piece, which she has owned since 2020.
“Mariia says she will never go back,” said Zoe. “There are too many bad memories in Ukraine.
“Here there is a massive opportunity for her and her children.”
Zoe was speaking after featuring in BBC show Scotland’s People that paid tribute to Aberfeldy for accommodating 33 Ukrainian refugees.
In this feature Zoe reveals what inspired her to house refugees, the practicalities involved and why it has not worked out for all those who opened their doors.
Stay abroad inspired charitable side
Zoe put herself forward as soon as there was talk of Ukrainian refugees needing accommodation.
A big reason for this was her experiences as a young adult.
Norfolk-born Zoe grew up in Torphins, Aberdeenshire and boarded at St Margaret’s School for Girls in Aberdeen.
At 18 she began a three-year stint in Israel, where she was an au pair, taught English and volunteered.
For most of the time she lived in the deprived city of Dimona in the Negev desert.
“I was welcomed in Dimona as though I was a long-lost daughter,” Zoe said.
“The people there were so lovely.
“I didn’t speak any Hebrew or know anybody so it was really great how I was treated.
“My whole life choices came from being in Israel.
“It really moulded me. I come from a privileged background and having come from Dimona I became much more humble.”
Generosity after setting up sandwich bar
On returning to Scotland she had a spell in Arbroath, where her parents now lived.
In 1999 she moved to Broughty Ferry and worked for Lend Lease, the company that rebuilt the Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee.
Seven years ago, after experiencing health issues, she moved to Aberfeldy.
Here, she was taken by the community spirit – “the people were so lovely” – and formed bonds with the locals, including her future husband George, while working for Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery.
Zoe and George left to set up sandwich bar Piece just as lockdown hit in early 2020 and were supported wholeheartedly by the people of Aberfeldy.
“The community spirit in Aberfeldy is massive,” Zoe said.
“We all pull together and you can always find someone to help you out whatever situation you are in.”
Refugee process ‘like a dating website’
After benefitting from the generosity of others in Israel, and then Aberfeldy, Zoe was keen to give something back when the war began in Ukraine.
She got involved with the Highland Perthshire Welcomes Ukraine group and was soon matched with Mariia, a resident of Polohy, a city 65 miles north-west of Mariupol.
The pair communicated by video and Google Translate, owing to Mariia’s limited grasp of English.
“It’s like a dating website,” Zoe said.
“You can say what you like but you know nothing about their medical history, their mental state or their personal circumstances.
“They were in a hurry to get as many people out as they could so form filling on their side was limited.
“Whereas, we had police checks etcetera done for the house.”
Zoe could have backed out even after the initial contact but she followed her hunch.
“She looked so much like my daughter and I had a gut feeling it was going to be okay,” she recalled.
Teamwork key in eight-person home
Of Zoe’s five children, three lived with her and George when Mariia arrived with her own brood.
These were Fynnlay, now 22, Monte, 17, and Oscar, 16.
Zoe is also mother to Naomi, 31, who lives in Galashiels, and Aaron, 27, who is in Dundee.
This meant a total of eight people living under the same roof – along with four dogs, a tortoise and a budgie.
“We all muddle along together and having another two kids and Mariia in the house has never been an issue,” Zoe said.
“I was a single parent for many years and my priority has always been my children – and it is still the same. We work as a team.”
Combative cancer battle
Mariia’s arrival also coincided with Fynnlay undertaking treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He was diagnosed in December 2021 with three cancerous tumours – on a lung, small intestine and pelvis.
“Having Mariia here has been quite nice because it is a bit of a distraction,” Zoe said.
“Fynnlay is very combative and an absolute character. It has been the making of him as well.”
Fynnlay had his first round of chemotherapy exactly a year ago. When he underwent radiotherapy he continued to work in Piece with his parents..
“He is a lovely man, very kind – all my children are,” Zoe said.
Fynnlay, who currently studies at Bath university, will discover in the new year how effective the treatment has been.
Prosperous family arrived with one suitcase
After leaving Ukraine, Mariia and her children initially spent three weeks at a Polish refugee centre where their bed was blankets on the floor.
They were then moved to an apartment for another three weeks.
“When I picked her up from the airport on the Thursday morning and her whole life was in a suitcase – even now that makes me so emotional,” said Zoe.
“I can’t imagine my daughter being in that position.
“Having her here helped my children learn about different cultures, to appreciate what they have.
“These people have nothing. They have come from good working backgrounds and have nice homes but they have come with nothing.
“I thought it was very important for my children to realise that. They have accepted them really well.
“Culturally it’s great for the boys. Mariia cooks and it is nice for them to try different things.”
Not plain sailing for all families
Mariia has been successfully grasping the English language and Ignat is settling in nicely at Breadlbane Academy, where he enjoys playing football.
Once David begins nursery in the new year, Mariia will help out at Piece.
Zoe admits she is fortunate that the move has gone so well because not everyone has been so lucky.
“We are a success story but it has not been that way for a lot of people,” she said.
“It’s very touch and go because you don’t know these people at all and they don’t know you.
“Some of the 33 refugees who arrived her have moved on and others have come in to replace them.
“A few of the families that originally came to Aberfeldy are now at Perth.
“A lot of the girls come from big cities so Aberfeldy is not ideal to them because we are a small town in comparison to Kyiv and places like that.
“Perth and Kinross Council have been fantastic in rehousing the ones who wanted to move.”
Hope for Ukrainian reunion
The conflict forced Mariia to be apart from her family.
Her brother remained in Ukraine to fight in the military while her mother, sister, younger brother and aunts all fled to Lithuania.
Zoe is aiming to sort David out with a passport so Mariia can take her children on a family reunion trip to Lithuania.
“Having them here has been absolutely wonderful,” said Zoe.
“It’s been like having my daughter home with my granddaughter.
“Any help that she needs, I will do it for her.”