Northamptonshire pub applies to accommodate family of five refugees from Ukraine

Northampton charity, Friendship Zone, is calling on all landlords of disused and struggling pubs in the UK to be used to help Ukrainian refugees escaping horrors of war
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An application has been made to use a Northamptonshire village pub as temporary accommodation for a family of five from Ukraine.

The Black Horse in Cold Ashby, formerly a wet-led pub that ceased trading during the coronavirus pandemic, is now a non-licenced community venue for members of the public to hire for gatherings.

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It is managed by Northampton-based charity, Friendship Zone.

Director of Friendship Zone, Paul Kuznecovs, pictured outside The Black Horse pub in Cold Ashby.Director of Friendship Zone, Paul Kuznecovs, pictured outside The Black Horse pub in Cold Ashby.
Director of Friendship Zone, Paul Kuznecovs, pictured outside The Black Horse pub in Cold Ashby.

Director of Friendship Zone, Paul Kuznecovs, said: "I attended a parish council meeting on March 2 and nearly cried when I saw residents of Cold Ashby and councillors standing and clapping to the brave people of Ukraine.

"I have also been overwhelmed by direct and indirect support residents of Cold Ashby showed with regards to the appeal of humanitarian aid for people of Ukraine made at the same meeting."

There was a midterm plan for The Black Horse to be converted into a licensed pub facility serving locally produced food and drinks.

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Friendship Zone has, however, opted to delay this plan in favour of applying for a temporary use of the premises to accommodate a family of five refugees, fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The director of Friendship Zone additionally wants to go one step further and call on all landlords of disused pubs in the UK to follow in their steps.

Paul continued: “I constantly read a lot of news about empty or struggling pubs - with one closed pub located in Naseby, which is not that far away from Cold Ashy - and I thought, is there anything else what we all can do to help people of Ukraine?

"I thought, what if each struggling or empty pub or catering facility could accommodate one family from Ukraine – then we can help thousands and thousands of people to escape horrors of what is happening in Ukraine right now.

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“Let’s pray for all those who have lost their lives in this war. Only as a community, which acts together and is resolute in its actions, we can and will be able to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. Let’s act now."