Brightly dressed in the blue and yellow of Ukraine, they are children of war given new hope in the towns and villages of Britain.
And these battle-scarred youngsters are being taught to ‘dream again’ in all corners of the UK – with thanks to Mail Force.
They were given sanctuary here after fleeing the hell of Russia’s invasion of their homeland.
Many were deeply traumatised, either through experiencing the fighting or by suffering the misery of being torn from their homes and rushed to live in a new country.
This weekend, they came together for lively events to help them settle in the UK. In Woking, Berkshire, refugee children danced the hopak – a Ukrainian folk dance – played games of chess and created colourful artwork.
In Tunbridge Wells, Ukrainian refugees spread around the county of Kent came to meet one another and play games. Events were also showcased in Glasgow, Richmond, Hillingdon and Amersham.
They were organised by St Mary’s Ukrainian School which is partly funded by generous Mail readers who donated to our Mail Force Ukraine Appeal. Mail Force is helping to fund its ‘I Can Dream Again’ initiative to provide psychological help to Ukrainian schoolchildren.
Headteacher Inna Hryhorovych said: ‘This weekend’s open days were dedicated to nurturing the wellbeing of children who have experienced displacement and war. They were held to celebrate happy childhoods and foster a space where dreams can be rekindled.’
St Mary’s has set up schemes all over the country to pay for bilingual Ukrainian teachers, known as educational support workers, to go into classrooms and help refugee children to settle into British schools, although not all local authorities have signed up to it.
Mrs Hryhorovych said: ‘Tunbridge Wells and Woking are doing a fantastic job, each supporting up to 100 children. Woking, in particular, has united the Ukrainian community, and it would be immensely beneficial to have educational support workers in mainstream schools to support these children, provided we can secure some funding. Unfortunately, the local authority has not yet agreed to cooperate.
‘In Tunbridge Wells, children are travelling up to 25 miles to attend school due to a lack of closer options.’
At the event in Woking, attended by Mail Force Charity trustee Hamish Webb, young mother Victoriia, who fled from their home near Kiev with her children aged nine and 15, said: ‘St Mary’s gives a chance for my kids to meet with other children who are facing the same fears and challenges. After two years, we don’t know when we can return.’