St Nicholas Visited Canterbury on 6th December!

On 6th December, the children of Canterbury’s Ukrainian community received a very special visit from St Nicholas himself – bringing gifts, warmth, and that magical wonder we all long for during the pre-Christmas season.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who found the strength and inspiration to help organise this celebration, and to all who came and brought their children. It’s thanks to you that we create the atmosphere where we want to be together.

Our heartfelt thanks to Hanna Hrekova, trustee and Aid for Ukraine Lead, who was instrumental in bringing this magical event to life through her dedication, care, and tireless coordination of everyone and everything involved.

Canterbury for Ukraine pulled out all the stops to bring a touch of pre-Christmas spirit to our community.

The children from You-Hub performed a vibrant Malanka dance, whilst Canterbury for Ukraine Ladies’ Choir filled the space with Christmas songs, carols, and traditional Ukrainian festive music. The Ukrainian Discussion Group brought wonderful winter-themed books, and Young at Hearts Club prepared delicious treats. The choir ladies and You-Hub mums joined forces to bake – and there was enough not only to enjoy with tea or coffee whilst waiting for the raffle, but to take home too!

And of course, the craft workshops! Children (and not just children) painted their own Christmas stars, created greeting cards, and discovered the art of vytynanky under the guidance of a Ukrainian artist. Unfortunately, we had to postpone the workshops on weaving the pavuchok (spider web) and making the didukh – so watch this space, they will definitely happen!

The celebration ended with a jolly raffle.

Thanks to you, this spontaneous event truly succeeded: it was warm, cosy, and genuine.

Together, we raised £744! All funds will go to UAid Direct, a charitable foundation in Ukraine that has just received another shipment of medical equipment and will deliver it to hospitals in frontline cities.

Thank you sincerely for your trust, support, and compassion during this difficult time. For being here, for helping, for preserving our culture and nurturing in our children a love for Ukraine.

Special thanks to all our volunteers – the creators of this celebration:

Olya Lukanina – a person with an enormous heart, always ready to support Ukrainian communities in Kent and in Ukraine, as well as a talented photographer and florist.

Volodymyr Nizalov – who has those very special contacts with the real St Nicholas.

Platon Lukanin – who can hang a spider from the ceiling and run a raffle with ease and charm.

Liliia Keleberдenko – who finds solutions even when it seems they don’t exist. And sometimes – when they truly don’t.

Anna Herashchenko – our craftswoman with golden hands.

Iryna Varchuk and Anastasiia – who only just moved to Canterbury but immediately joined our common cause.

Yuliia Frolova – who goes where she’s needed most, and whose calm presence gives everyone the feeling that everything will be alright.

Nataliia Gnatenko and Vladlena Russova – for the wonderful Malanka performance, and for greeting the children with smiles every Saturday and telling them about Ukraine.

The talented children of You-Hub – who are still learning to perform before an audience but already act like true professionals.

Our young volunteers – Evelina Shamaida, Max Naidon, and Marat Imanov – who sang and played on stage, helped with crafts, cleaned up after the event, and seemed to be everywhere help was needed.

Inna Bereza – who spoke about Ukrainian books with such love that some were borrowed to read during the event itself!

Joanna and David Chapman – for their patience, support, understanding, and willingness to participate in any of the choir ladies’ ideas. And of course, Andrew Hedges!

All the incredible ladies from the C4U Ladies’ Choir– whose singing creates warmth that everyone can feel.

All members of the Young at Hearts Club – who are always there and ready to help, no matter what.

Tamila Senko, Liuda Shamaida, Anna Yezhova, Sofiia Myroshnichenko, Viktoria Meshalkina, Svitlana Mamedova, and Lev (greetings to Viktoriya Kashytsyna!) – who fed everyone, made sure everyone had drinks, and washed and tidied everything up.

Brian Bennett – who helps everyone, always, whenever he can.

The enchanting artist Olesya Seregina – who travelled to Canterbury for three hours through train cancellations, but it wasn’t in vain! She gave everyone the opportunity to experience real magic and become a wizard, transforming ordinary paper into the delicate lacework of vytynanky. We very much hope to see Olesya again, as not everyone who wanted to managed to take part!

Dear Ukrainians! Thank you, everyone! Memories of children’s smiles and laughter will inspire us for a long time to come, and we sincerely hope to see you again very soon!