Chichester’s Ukraine Community Celebrates 31 Years of Independence

Chichester’s Ukraine refugees and area residents came together to celebrate Ukraine’s 31st Independence Day with food, songs and speeches.

St Paul’s Church provided the venue as Ukraine nationals shared delicious dishes such as Borscht (traditional red cabbage and beetroot soup) and Blinis on Saturday afternoon 27 August.

Children and adults sang traditional songs on an outdoor stage brightly decorated with yellow and blue balloons, the colours of the Ukraine Flag.

The Mayor of Chichester, Councillor Julian Joy, attended.

Addressing some problems refugees displaced by Russia’s invasion face, he told the Chichester Observer: “These people have no money; they have very limited direction. The biggest problem we have at the moment is identifying all the families. We know that we have the most Ukrainian citizens in the whole country.”

The Home Office confirmed that Chichester hosts the most Ukraine UK incomers fleeing their war-torn country. With a population of just over 121,000, the district has taken in more Ukrainian refugees per capita than anywhere else in the UK.

Wednesday August 24 marked 31 years since Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union.

On Independence Day, Ukraine supporters turned out in capitals around the globe to condemn Russia's invasion which has now entered its sixth month.

People are keen to find work. Mayor Joy said: “I am a trustee of Business 2 Schools. We’ve arranged for some of our laptops to go to the Ukrainians, many of whom have no way of contacting people or doing job applications.”

One of the Ukraine women who sang was Susanna Anojemeri. She is a newly-qualified M.D. working in the NHS– but her family has been separated by red tape setbacks.

She said: “My mother and father are waiting for a visa in France. We had problems with sponsors.”

Her family has been separated for months; her younger sister age 12 has not obtained a visa. One of their sponsors fell through. Sponsors are very much needed to provide homes for refugees; anyone interested can contact the Council to find out more. Organisations working with the Council include Sanctuary and Barnardo’s.

We spoke to one of the organisers, Svetlana Bryadun, from Kyiv. She said: “Sanctuary and Father Simon (of St Paul’s) have helped; British people have helped us lots."

Despite the hardships these people face, they were determined to show their solidarity, pride in their nation, and to bring some Ukrainian culture to the welcoming Chichester citizens: they succeeded beautifully.