Ukrainian refugees in Hampshire celebrate Independence Day

The day is a state holiday in modern Ukraine, celebrated on August 24, in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of 1991.

Today, two and a half years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the day is an ever-more prominent symbol of independent Ukraine and free and courageous Ukrainians.

To the thousands of refugees in the UK, and those in Hampshire, it is a day of special significance as they reflect on their home country and the devastation war has caused it. 

Anna, originally from Kyiv and now living in Upton Grey with her two children, told me that she would normally have spent the day with her closest friends and family, but that isn’t possible this year.

With most of her family including her husband back in Ukraine, Anna will be spending this Saturday with the friends she has made since coming here, who she calls her “second family.”  

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Flowers from Ukraine that Natalia has planted here and Varya with Helen Chatfield (Image: Flora Symington)

She said: “It is such a strange feeling, to be in an absolutely unknown place so far from home, but to be surrounded by so much love. They helped me to feel alive again after everything had fallen apart.”

Anna was an English teacher to primary school children back in Kyiv, before the family were forced to flee at the outbreak of the war. They initially moved to Portugal, but the language barrier made it challenging to find work, and Anna eventually returned the family to Kyiv after a pause in the bombing made it appear safe. Shortly after their return, Anna received a call from a friend already in Upton Grey to say a host family was ready to take her.

Before moving to Kyiv, Anna and her family lived in the countryside, so she is glad they have ended up living somewhere close to nature. 

“Every day we see rabbits on the way to the school bus and we hear the birds in the morning, it is so peaceful,” she said. Anna also goes into town to take English lessons from retired teachers

Anna is now one of three Ukrainian women working as a teaching assistant at Long Sutton School in Hook. Her daughter Varya attends the school, while her son Iona is about to start at Queen Mary’s College in Basingstoke studying Music. 

Both children are talented musicians, Iona on guitar and Varya on violin and piano, and played at a concert organised in the area for Ukrainian Independence Day last year. This year, though, the Odiham group hasn’t organised any special celebration. 

“This year has been really tough for our Ukrainian families," said Helen Chatfield, youth pastor at All Saints Church in Odiham who organised last year’s celebrations. “The situation over there is getting worse, so it’s hard to see what we’re celebrating right now.”

Helen has been at the centre of the Ukrainian community in the area since February 2022, when she organised the first meeting to coordinate potential hosts along with education providers, doctors, and anyone else who offered to help. Since then, she has helped to place 45 families in the area, and has been blown away by the support from the community. 

She said: “I’m so proud of the way the community has come together to support these families. For the first year or so, I mainly coordinated support for things like paperwork and finding jobs, but in the last year it’s been wonderful to see everyone becoming more independent.”

Helen emphasised that her on-the-ground approach has been key to the successful integration of Ukrainian families.

She said: “People have been so generous, offering everything from furniture to holidays to childcare support. The local authorities have helped us out with grants, but it’s really been people going that extra mile to help others out that has made the difference.”

The children who have moved to Odiham are the biggest success stories of all, according to Helen. Vlad, who arrived at four years old with no English, has just finished Year 1 at Long Sutton Church of England School, and now speaks English to a native standard.  

“It’s a bit harder for the teenagers, who might have a bit of English when they arrive but then have to go straight into GCSEs in a different education system. It’s also been hard to see resilient, professional women struggle to find jobs because their qualifications in dentistry, teaching or medicine aren’t recognised here, but they have been amazing at adapting to the jobs they can do here,” Helen added.

Some jobs, however, do cross borders, so refugees like Irina have been able to find work in the same industry here in the UK. Formally a landscape gardener and lecturer in horticulture back in Kyiv, Irina now works at Marvellous Garden along with two other Ukrainian women. 

“The community here has been very welcoming, everything was very easy to manage when we arrived. My daughter Roksolana adjusted quite easily and has made lots of friends, it’s been harder for my son Sviatoslav as he is older. He loves school though, especially maths, science and PE.”

Irina and her children moved to the UK in November 2022 after a stay in Poland. Since leaving, Irina has found it hard to stay connected with her country, and is always thinking of ways she can help. 

“The war is far from here. A lot of people, because they have their normal life now, forget what it’s like to be under fire. We can’t forget because the people there can’t forget. It’s not just the soldiers and businesses but normal life that is affected.”

Irina has previously driven trucks and medical aid back to Ukraine, and has plans to raise funds with a book on horticulture. For Independence Day this year, she will be travelling to Swindon to volunteer at a festival of Ukrainian culture. 

“We will sing, we will wear our traditional clothing, we will make tools and pottery in the authentic style. It’s important to promote our culture here, to remind ourselves that we are Ukrainians. Just as we must keep fighting for our right to exist as a country, we must keep fighting for our right to be Ukrainian," she said on why celebrating the day is important.

Anna agreed that Independence Day has special significance this year.

“When you have independence, you don’t value it. You are able to live your life, focus on your own interests and your family’s. When it comes under threat, you aren’t able to think about these things. You don’t just lose your home but your will to live, your personality even," she said. 

Anna has friends living in the occupied territories, but rarely hears from them because they are terrified of their phones being intercepted. She is particularly worried about a family that had been staying with a host in Hampshire, but were forced to return to their home in Sumy (near the frontlines) when their hosts could no longer accommodate them. 

“It’s important for people to know that there are still families who desperately need accommodation. If anyone reading this is able to take in a family, that could save their lives,” she appealed.

For Natalia, who lives in Andover with her two sons, Independence Day has a special significance. 

“It’s now a double celebration for me as it’s my younger son’s birthday. So as well as wearing our traditional clothes we will also give him presents and cake!”

Natalia, who worked in sales back in Kyiv, has returned to her home country for the celebration. She described seeing people in traditional dress from the evening of August 23, when work finished.

Natalia is hoping to expand her business here in the UK to include selling traditional clothes as a way of promoting Ukrainian culture. She currently works as a cleaner alongside four other self-employed women, and tries to provide work for other single mothers who don’t speak English.

“I am always in search of possibilities. My work is not just to earn money, it’s also a social club and fitness club! It’s very important for mothers in my situation to get out of the house, to change their environment and feel empowered,” she said. 

Natalia will begin her studies in Accountancy and Bookkeeping at Salisbury College this autumn, while her elder son will be going off to Peter Symonds after graduating from Harrow Way Community School. Her younger son will continue at Appleshaw Primary School as well as extra English lessons from a retired teacher. 

• This article was written by Flora Symington