A former secondary school teacher, Jo qualified as an instructor in 2014 and worked for seven years before retiring in 2021. However, on 24 February this year, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war that has displaced many Ukrainian families as they continue to flee from Putin’s onslaught.

“It’s awful when you think about what’s happening there,” says Jo. “It makes me very emotional.” It’s why she and her husband are now officially hosting a recently arrived Ukrainian mother and her two children at their house on the outskirts of North Curry in Somerset.

Serious concerns

While Jo was waiting for the young Ukrainian family to arrive in Britain, she realised that refugees might struggle with driving in the UK after a Ukrainian mother (soon to be hosted by another British family) expressed concerns in a video call about driving on our roads.

“She said she was really scared about driving on the left,” recalls Jo. “I told her I was a retired driving instructor so I could help her gain confidence on our roads through some free refresher lessons.”

Essential service

Jo decided to expand her efforts to help as many refugees coming into the area as possible, especially as many of the hosts provide a car for their Ukrainian families to use; access to a car is essential as many host families live in villages and rural areas with limited public transport.

However, Jo knew she could only help a certain amount of refugees because of time constraints. This led to her posting a shoutout for local instructors to help out on the Taunton ADI Facebook group.

Reaching out

Because of the positive response, she subsequently created a WhatsApp group to pair up local instructors with Ukrainians wanting driver training before promoting the service on the Taunton Hosts and Ukrainians in Somerset Facebook page.

The result? To date, Jo has helped seven Ukrainian drivers and has several more ready to go. Meanwhile, five other instructors in the area are now providing refresher lessons either for free or at a significantly reduced rate.

“The Ukrainian mother said she was really scared about driving on the left. I told her that I was a retired driving instructor so I could help her gain confidence on our roads.”

• Jo Woodland, retired ADI and participant in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Daunting prospect

During lessons, there are three main areas of concern for her Ukrainian pupils. First is navigating the area’s many country roads. “Because they’re now using a right hand drive car, some Ukrainians find dealing with oncoming traffic on narrow country roads quite daunting,” says Jo.

“Also, many are used to automatics, not manuals, so it’s about helping them get used to changing gears – or, if they already use a manual, changing gears with their left hand, not right.”

Roundabout reveal

However, the biggest challenge by far is learning how to navigate Britain’s roundabouts. “The Ukrainians I’ve met say they don’t have roundabouts in their country,” says Jo.

“And learning how to use roundabouts is tough for anyone, especially in our area where one moment you’re driving along a country road and the next, you’re suddenly confronted with a great big roundabout with lots of traffic.”

Jo has been giving refresher courses to Mila from Odessa who has two children about to start at the local primary school. Thanks to Jo’s training, Mila now feels she has the confidence she needs to drive her children safely to and from school.

Helping hand

To help her pupils become confident enough to tackle these issues, Jo typically offers two one-hour refresher lessons. Also, we’ve given Jo free access to Theory Test Pro after she contacted us so she and her fellow ADIs can supplement their lessons with our services.

Currently, there are 25 Ukrainian pupils signed up to Theory Test Pro. As well as supporting Ukrainian translations in the multiple choice section, we also offer English audio, which “has been really useful for the Ukrainians,” says Jo, “as it helps them learn or improve their English as well as, say, learn what the words on our signs mean.”

Overcoming barriers

The issue of language does represent a challenge for Jo at times as some of her pupils only have a very limited understanding – if any – of the English language. To help, Jo uses Google Translate as well as a range of apps on her iPad to communicate with her pupil when parked up safely.

Looking forwards, Jo says that she will keep offering free lessons to those who need them to support refugees in any way she can. As for the future, Jo has a single goal: “I hope that one day in the not too distant future – when the war is over – we can go to Ukraine.”

Licence or retest?

Up until recently, Ukrainians were allowed to drive on British roads with a Ukrainian driving licence for up to a year before being required to take a driving test to gain a UK licence. However, a change introduced last year means Ukrainians can now exchange their licence for a UK licence after 12 months without the need for a test.

Get involved

With the latest figures showing 107,400 visas have been issued to Ukrainians, more and more will need help with driving in the UK.

If you’re an ADI and want to get involved, Jo recommends hooking up with local Facebook groups dedicated to hosting Ukrainian refugees or are run by Ukrainians themselves who have already arrived. Any help will be hugely appreciated by both hosts and the Ukrainian families staying with them.

• If you want to learn more about how you can host a Ukrainian family through the official Homes for Ukraine scheme, head here for full details.