Events
The Ukrainian Welcome Centre invites you to attend the following events
Dear visitors,
During the upcoming festive period, the office of the Ukrainian Welcome Centre will operate as usual (except bank holidays).
You can refer to our Centre for advice or help, or just drop in for a cup of coffee or tea, to use the Internet, play board games, etc.
All classes, workshops and consultations with UK Government and charity organisations will resume in the new year.
Our address: 21 Binney Street, London W1K 5BQ
You can also contact us:
- by phone 020 3960 7595
- via email info@ukrainianwelcomecentre.org
- on social media
Please keep an eye on our updates here!
#UkrainianWelcomeCentre #OperatingHours
Christmas Tree Party at Ukrainian Welcome Centre
Christmas holidays are just around the corner! We invite you and your children for the Christmas Tree Party to the Ukrainian Welcome Centre.
Date: Sunday, 11th December
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Something for the kids:
- joyful Christmas tree decorating
- entertainment programme with merry songs
- festive workshops (clay sculpting, gingerbread decoration, Christmas cards and snowflakes making, etc.)
- meeting with a children’s writer
- sweet treats and drinks
Every child will get a Christmas present.
Hurry up! The number of participants is limited.
Registration is required: https://bit.ly/3BxYuhp
His Majesty The King and Ukraine’s First Lady Mrs. Olena Zelenska visit Holy Family Cathedral and the Ukrainian Welcome Centre in London
London, 30th November 2022: His Majesty The King and The First Lady of Ukraine Mrs. Olena Zelenska were welcomed to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile today by Rt. Rev. Kenneth Nowakowski, bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of the Holy Family of London.
Bishop Kenneth said: “The visit of His Majesty The King along with Mrs. Zelenska offers a powerful sign of solidarity between the people of the United Kingdom and our sisters and brothers in Ukraine. We are honoured that His Majesty has come back to our Cathedral, and we pray his next visit will be to give thanks for an end to the war – a war that has taken so many innocent lives.”
Bishop Kenneth assured Mrs. Zelenska that each day prayers are offered for the President of Ukraine, its defenders and indeed all of the Ukrainian people during these dreadful times.
While visiting the Cathedral His Majesty was presented with an icon, a gift from His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The icon was written (painted) featuring the Blessed Theotokos (Mother of God) of Eleousa (Tenderness) by Oleksandr Klymenko and Sofiia Atlantova – Ukrainian iconographers and artists who are founders of the charity project called “Icons on munitions boxes”. The icon is written on fragments of a munitions box brought from the front lines.
The Ukrainian Welcome Centre (UWC) was officially opened by His Majesty who was greeted by a temporarily displaced person from Ukraine and Mr. Andriy Marchenko, director of the UWC. After being presented with the traditional Ukrainian welcome of Bread and Salt, His Majesty met with staff, volunteers, benefactors, temporarily displaced Ukrainians and their British Sponsors.
“The visit of His Majesty gives a great boost of morale to our staff, volunteers, and all the temporarily displaced Ukrainians who come to the Welcome Centre for help. All those who have been driven from their homes in Ukraine were especially excited about seeing the First Lady of Ukraine here as well,” said Mr. Marchenko.
The UWC began to provide guidance and assistance to the temporarily displaced Ukrainians after the first visit of His Majesty and Her Majesty the Queen Consort to the Cathedral at the beginning March 2022, just after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The Ukrainian Welcome Centre is a partnership initiative between the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. This has been supported by the UK Government’s departments and many non-governmental, religious and charity organisations, private sector, and individual sponsors. Designed to help Ukrainian nationals arriving in Great Britain after being displaced by Russia’s war against their country, UWC is a point of contact for all essential information for arrival, settling and long-term living in the UK as well as a social hub helping Ukrainians stay connected to their culture and heritage.
The UWC has processed about 4,000 requests on-line or by telephone contacts. More than 450 people have been assisted during the drop-in sessions, many of whom participate in weekly activities such as English courses, art therapy and mother and toddler groups, etc. The Centre is headquartered on the premises of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Mayfair.
Photo credit: Marcin Mazur
Photo exhibition “Documenting Russia’s Invasion: Photos from Ukraine” will open in the Ukrainian Welcome Centre. The exhibition is organised by Crown Agents International Development in partnership with the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London and the Ukrainian Welcome Centre.
Dates: 29th November – 2nd December
Time: 10:00 – 19:00
Location: 21 Binney Street, London, W1K 5BQ
Free admission.
Captured by Maidan Monitoring Information Center, a civil society organisation in Ukraine, the photographs present the war from the people's perspective, documenting the destruction inflicted on Ukraine’s infrastructure.
ARMISTICE DAY REQUIEM FOR UKRAINIAN CHILDREN LOST TO THE WAR
On Armistice Day 2022, the UK's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile and Beyond Conflict, the mental health charity for conflict zones, will host a requiem concert to honour the hundreds of children lost in Russia’s war against Ukraine following full scale invasion and brutal assault since 24 February 2022.
On Friday 11 November 2022 at 6.30pm, the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London will host a special concert comprising a performance of “The Cry, A Requiem For The Lost Child” by the composer Adrian Snell, and a selection of Ukrainian music by the Cathedral’s quartet Vivo. Our conductor for the evening will be Dominic Ellis-Peckham. The renowned London Oriana Choir and Alleyn's School will be performing at the beautiful cathedral in Mayfair, home to the Ukrainian Catholic community. As the war has entered a new and more dangerous phase, the concert will remember the innocents of war on this most profound of days.
Right Reverend Kenneth Nowakowski, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of the Holy Family of London, recently returned from Ukraine where he visited the communities of Irpin and Bucha. He said:
“The destruction of civilian buildings and private homes by the relentless shelling and attacks by tanks was very shocking. But speaking to the residents of these two cities and hearing of the atrocities they endured was nothing less than heart breaking. Knowing that these atrocities are being committed elsewhere makes the suffering these people have endured even worse.” He went on to say that, “We are so grateful for the kindness of so many UK citizens who have opened not only their homes but their hearts to the young mothers with children who have fled harm’s way and have found welcome here.”
Terry Waite CBE, Beyond Conflict’s Founding Ambassador, said: “As one who was born just before the outbreak of World War II, I still remember the terror I felt when I heard enemy bombers flying over our house. My fear was nothing compared to that which is experienced by millions of innocent Ukrainian children. Please support this concert by buying a ticket or making a donation. Your help will make a difference.”
UNICEF reported that almost 1,000 Ukrainian children have died so far and many more have been injured. Millions of Ukrainian children have been displaced, with many being forced to flee their homes and country. According to the UN, one Ukrainian child per second has been made a refugee.
This Armistice Day, Beyond Conflict, the Cathedral and our partners invite Londoners to support this concert in a show of continued solidarity with Ukraine, which is bearing the brunt of the gravest attack in Europe since World War II.
The money raised this evening will go towards funding the Cathedral's new Ukrainian Welcome Centre helping Ukrainians who have fled the war, as well as supporting frontline refugees in Poland.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/3gXxksA