Image courtesy of Fetch Theatre Company
Join the Support for Ukraine Project team, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain and others for an evening of remembrance and prayer on the 3rd anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine at St Peter’s church in Hereford, on Monday, 24th February at 7:30pm
Next Monday, 24th March, will be the third anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. As this story goes to press, there is a flurry of talks going on between Russia and the United States, with Ukraine and European countries seemingly sidelined. For the more than 800 hundred Ukrainians, including many seniors and families with children, who have found sanctuary in our diocese, thanks to our Support for Ukraine Project, these are worrying times, and not just because their country’s fate remains in the balance between war and diplomacy. As of this third anniversary, many of their three-year visas under the government’s Homes for Ukraine programme will be coming up for renewal. Visa extensions – and new visas for those still seeking to escape the war - will now be for a maximum of 18 months.
For many of our Ukrainian guests, this feels like stepping into the unknown. What would return to Ukraine look like for them, they wonder. Lesley Grady, Support for Ukraine Project Officer, has been speaking with families about their concerns. She says, “Many younger children are now settled in our schools and cannot read or write in Ukrainian. Some are doing online Ukrainian school but that’s not the same as having a teacher right there beside you. An over-50s coffee morning group of Ukrainian refugees from SPSJ is providing in-person teaching for these children in Ledbury, with support from HVOSS.”
She continues, “It may seem surprising how many people want to stay here. The council surveyed the 180 or so Ukrainians still living with host families and over half said they would like to remain in the UK, with many saying they would like to stay in the diocese. And there is still a huge need for host families here, as people continue to try to escape the war or those settled here seek to bring relatives over, as the frontline in the war moves closer to their homes. Many parents are also desperate to get their teenage sons out of the country before they turn 17 and are then not allowed to leave. For people interested in hosting, it’s helpful to know that despite the visa changes, the UK government is still funding a £350 per month ‘thank you’ to host households, topped up by Herefordshire Council to £500 per month, plus a council-funded £200 winter fuel allowance for hosts.”
Says Lesley, “It truly takes a network to make this work. The diocese’s Support for Ukraine Project collaborates with HVOSS, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, SPSJ church, The Living Room, Halo, Fetch Theatre, New Leaf and Rural Media, all with the support of Herefordshire Council. Other parts of the country have not seen such a warm and welcoming response.”
The benefits go both ways. Our schools and communities have been blessed with creative outpourings from our Ukrainian guests, such as the recent immersive puppetry play The Healing House, produced by Fetch Theatre, about the extraordinary art and life of Ukrainian folk artist Polina Rayko, who began painting murals all over the inside of her home at the age of 69. The house has since been largely destroyed under the Russian occupation of Kherson. The play, with traditional music performed on the bandura by Hereford-based Galina Grigoriadi (pictured above left) has toured the UK, including a performance at the Bishop’s Palace in Hereford. As we watch anxiously what will happen in the peace talks, our lives here in the diocese have already been enriched by our Ukrainian guests, just as our host families and communities have supported them. “Whatever happens, we will be left with a legacy of new-found friendships and a network of energised community resources,” concludes Lesley.
If you would like to join with our Support for Ukraine Project team and others in marking this anniversary and in continuing to pray for peace, we will be joining with St Peter’s and St James' Hereford and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, in an evening of remembrance and prayer at St Peter’s Church in Hereford on Monday, 24th February at 7:30pm. All are welcome, refreshments provided. Parking is free on the roads around St Peter’s at that time, but please do check parking signs. For further information about becoming a host or about the walk next week please email the diocese’s Support for Ukraine Project team.
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