A Ukrainian toddler was delighted to find the same doll in Surrey she was forced to leave behind at home.

Child refugee Veronika and her mother Tatyana arrived in the UK on Thursday to stay with a family in Epsom and Ewell as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

The mother and daughter arrived with just one suitcase and a pushchair – so were in need of supplies.

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Their sponsor family took them to a local organisation called Stripey Stork who offer practical goods to families in need on a food bank-style basis.

Little Veronika was “very excited” when among the toys, nappies and toiletries, she found a doll “just the same as one she’d had to leave behind” in Ukraine.

Stripey Stork founder Nicola Dawes tweeted: “It was particularly special to discover this doll was just the same as one that Veronika had not been able to bring from home.

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“A moment of joy and connection, and it made our day when Veronika blew us a kiss as she left.”

The charity says it knows of 700 families who have sponsored Ukrainians.

On Saturday, protesters gathered in central London calling on the government to take more Ukrainian refugees amid claims few are successfully able to access the two visa schemes available.

Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise trip to Kyiv to show support to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and offer further military aid against the Russian invasion.

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