THIS is the house that Pat Wright built, with your money, more than 1,000 miles away in Kiev for street children robbed of humanity, reports Karen Barden.

Gazette readers answered a call by the Kendal grandmother to make an impossible dream turn into reality by finding funds for "a miracle home".

On Saturday, Britain's Ambassador to the Ukraine Robert Brinkley declared Genesis open and thanked the "hugely generous people who made this amazing place happen".

He paid tribute to the vision, drive and enthusiasm of a remarkable woman.

"Pat Wright's efforts here are going to transform the lives of all the children who come through these doors. It is remarkable the money for it has come largely from the Kendal area," he said.

It was the day no-one thought would happen. When the MBE fund-raising supremo said she was going to save ten street children from the filth, poverty and despair of the streets, few thought it would happen.

She established her charity New Beginnings and in less than three years has raised around £70,000, enough to buy a large village house and create a real home for children saved from a life of sheltering in sewer pipes.

An appeal by The Westmorland Gazette brought in £20,000, enough to convert the house and pay for fittings and furniture.

As preparations for the weekend's grand opening progressed, KGB agents phoned house parents Sasha and Olena Donskoy to ask about the British Ambassador's visit.

Next day, work on resurfacing the main road to Kiev started in honour of the VIP.

Five-year-old Anton and Sophia, three, played in the soil that soon will be their garden, oblivious to the fuss.

Their lives have changed beyond all recognition since they became the home's first children.

Their alcoholic mother used to leave them alone in a sixth floor flat for days on end. They only came to the authority's notice when Sophia fell from a window and landed with minor injuries in a tree.

The two tiny tattered figures were familiar sights on the streets below, begging for coins and scavenging the bins. They have a new mother and father now and are thriving in a loving home.

Marina, nine, languishes in a state orphanage waiting for authority clearance to be transferred to Genesis. Until then, every weekend is spent with Sasha and Olena.

She celebrated the official opening with visitors from South Lakeland and Kiev.

Over in the city centre, a church-run feeding programme paints a tragic picture of the kids with no one to care for them.

The rag-tag remnants of childhood line up for a meal. They all slept rough the previous night and many managed to blank out the morning sniffing glue.

Two gypsy sisters say life is bad. They want their mother, but there is no hope of ever finding her again. She probably dumped them on the streets anyway.

Prostitution beckons. Their older brother will be their operator.

Pat Wright says Genesis signals new beginnings.

"It might be a drop in the ocean, but it is a crucial start. We have started the ball rolling, now others can take our lead," she said.

The ambassador explained the Ukrainian government had at last woken up to the street children crisis and had started to act.

"Charities like New Beginnings have made a big difference in changing attitudes here," he said.

"This was always going to be throwing a pebble into a pond and watching the ripples expand across the entire water," said Pat.

"The important thing now is to keep money coming in. Genesis will cost £12,000 a year to keep going."

l Contact Pat Wright on 01539-727158 for more information or to make a donation to New Beginnings towards the running costs of the Genesis house in Kiev.