Northern pensioner praised for offering spare room in bungalow to Afghan refugees

A seventy-six-year-old pensioner has gone viral after he offered his spare room to two refugees fleeing Afghanistan.

Neil Waugh, from Wakefield in Yorkshire, took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce that he has space in his bungalow, where he lives alone, for two Afghan refugees.

His tweet read: “I am a 76 years old pensioner, I live on my own in a 2 bedroom bungalow. I have today informed Wakefield Council I am willing and able to give 2 refugees accommodation in my spare room.”

Neil, who describes himself as a ‘revolutionary socialist’ has since said he doesn’t see his tweet as a ‘kind offer,’ but, more so as a way to help those in an ‘impossible situation.’

In a follow up tweet, he wrote: “The purpose of my tweet was in NO way to seek praise. It was a attempt to show others that even when we feel helpless, there is ALWAYS something we can do. I am a life long revolutionary socialist, and first believe in world equality.

“I see it as gesture to people who have been put in an impossible position by the Western coalition , in Particular America, NATO, and us in the in the UK.”

Neil’s tweets were quick to go viral, with thousands of people from not just the UK but all over the world praising him for his selfless gesture.

One social media user wrote: “There should be more people like you in this world.”

“What a lovely gesture Neil, full of humanity and kindness. We need more people like you in this world,” a second said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this week that over 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan will be eligible to be resettled in Britain, with women and girls given priority status, with the rest to be admitted in the ‘long term’.

For more information on how you can help the refugees fleeing Afghanistan, visit the following links:

British Red Cross
UNICEF
AllWeCan.org
United Nation Refugee Agency 
Refugee Council