Support there for Ukrainians in heart of the community

The Association of Ukrainian Women in Great Britain has worked tirelessly over the last year to support women and families displaced by the war in the country, helping them to settle into their new homes and communities.

The Wolverhampton Branch on Merridale Street West has been a central place for support in the city, inviting people to its RAZOM Welcome Cafe and Store on Fridays to enjoy a hot drink and meal, receive clothes for free and join in activities.

The chair of the Association of Ukrainian Women in GB, Wolverhampton branch Anna Karpynec said the ethos of the association had always been to offer help to Ukrainians in the community.

She said: "We've always given help whenever needed since our organisation was formed in 1948 and our branch opened in Wolverhampton in 1955 and the women have always rallied around wherever and whenever someone needed help.

"What we are able to do at present is welcome people to our RAZOM on Fridays, where we offer food and different cuisines, but most of all, it's a place where people can come and talk to each other, which we find helps people with their mental health.

"They also start doing crafting and they've begun baking and bringing in things from home and it's that little bit of friendship and a home in Wolverhampton where they can actually speak in Ukrainian with other people."

Ms Karpynec said the subject of what was happening in Ukraine was a much more difficult topic to talk about and spoke of one person who had struggled on arrival in the city and how it had stuck with her.

She said: "I think it's quite difficult for a lot of them to speak about what they actually went through, but you can see it in their eyes and the trauma they went through, particularly in the children.

"I remember a lady came in with three of her children and while the two younger ones sat down and did some drawing, the older girl, a teenager, didn't want to engage and she couldn't talk and just seemed traumatised.

"She wouldn't eat and she wouldn't even have a glass of water, but a few weeks later, I met her mother again and she told me about how her daughter had just started at college, which really resonated with me."

Ms Karpynec said she was still dealing with her own thoughts about the war, saying she couldn't believe how long it had gone for, while also thinking about her friends and family in the west of the country.

She said: "I have family in the Lviv region and the Ternopil area and they are relatively safe, although they have told me about when the sirens go off, they have to run for a shelter.

"One of my cousin's works in a kindergarten, but wasn't able to go to school due to the war, so helped out with making food and feeding soldiers and people who needed help.

"She's been able to get back to school and live her life as best as she can, but it's hard to believe it's gone on for a year as I had hopes it wouldn't last this long.

"However, I think the Ukrainian people are resolute and will not give up and want to win the war as they are protecting their own and will not give up."

Ms Karpynec said she and the rest of the Ukrainian community would be out in force to show their determination at flag raising ceremonies in Wolverhampton and across the region.

She said she hoped it would keep the war in the public eye and thanked the UK government and international community for its response.

She said: "We're very grateful for the UK government and all those who have support Ukraine with arms and other items.

"It would be great if the war ended tomorrow, but we know that it won't, so we just hope and pray that it will end soon."