Holodomor Remembrance Day Service – 22 November 2025

On Saturday, 22 November 2024, Canterbury for Ukraine with St. Peter’s Methodist Church, Canterbury hosted a special Holodomor Remembrance Day Service— an interfaith gathering that united different faiths, communities, and generations in a shared prayer for justice, memory, and human dignity.

Our deepest gratitude goes to everyone who joined us that evening. Your presence, your prayers, and the candles lit in remembrance gave true meaning to this service. Thank you for standing with Ukraine, for remembering with us, and for holding the light of truth and compassion.

We sincerely thank all our spiritual leaders — The Reverend Dr Peggy Kabonde (St Peter’s Methodist Church), The Reverend Serhiy Stelmakh (Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain), The Reverend Stephen Laird (St Cosmas and Damian’s Church, Blean), The Reverend Deacon Angela Swindley (All Saints’ Church, Canterbury), Father Ihor (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church), The Reverend David Gilchrist (St Mark & St Fotini Greek Orthodox Church) and The Reverend Canon Lindsay Yates — for guiding us in prayer and uniting our hearts.

Our heartfelt thanks also go to the civic and academic leaders who stood with us: Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Keji Moses, Lady Mayoress Carol Reed, Councillor Paul Prentice (Canterbury City Councillor for Barton ward), Councillor Jean Butcher, Anne Dekker, and Iain Wilkinson, Civic Engagement Lead and Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent — thank you for your compassion and support.

We extend our warmest gratitude to the C4U Ladies’ Choir for filling the service with the beauty and strength of Ukrainian song, and to Joanna Chapman, Choir Conductor, and David Chapman, Accompanist, for your dedication and artistry.

Special thanks to the C4U team and trustees — Annette King, Giles Polglase, Olena Nizalova, Hanna Hrekova, Connie Nolan and Yuliia Frolova — for your continuous leadership and service to our community.

We are very grateful to St Peter’s Methodist Church and to Donna Fitzgerald for your hospitality, kindness and support.

Our media and technical teams played an essential role in preserving the memory of this evening: thank you to Stuart Brock for the photographs, to Olya Lukanina for filming, to Philip Wells for exceptional technical preparation, to Henry Luck and the KMTV team for your coverage, and to the Ukrainian Channel Суспільне Мовлення TV for broadcasting the service to Ukrainians across the world.

To all our volunteers — Andrii Morhun, Anya Morhun, Lev Poltavskyy, Evelina Shamaida, Maksym Naidon, Marat Imanov, Platon Lukanin, Tamila Senko, Volodymyr Nizalov, Vasyl Stepanov and Peter Gloster — thank you for your time, energy and dedication. Our thanks also go to the Young at Hearts team and the You-Hub team for your constant support.

We are truly grateful to everyone who joined us: Carl Whitewood, Oleksandr Ananiev, Nadiia Hryhorieva, Ukrainian Community in Kent – Thanet, Arin Ghosh, Charlotte Baynes, Helga Cucure, Chris Powell and Svenja Powell — your help and ongoing support meant a great deal.

And our sincere thanks to the organising committee — Olena Nizalova, Hanna Hrekova, Maryna Shkinder, Maryna Poltavska and Yuliia Frolova — for your tireless preparation and coordination.

This service was not only a commemoration of the millions of victims of the 1932–33 Holodomor, but also a collective act of remembrance, compassion and unity. Especially today, as Ukraine continues to face brutal aggression, your support strengthens our resilience and hope.

This must never happen again. Nowhere. To no one.

Thank you to everyone who came, who prayed, who sang, who helped, who remembered.

Thank you, Canterbury, for your open hearts.