Ukrainians living in Preston take part in Bridging Borders: Learning from Ukrainians’ at the University of Central Lancashire
A group of Ukrainian refugees, who are now living in Preston, have produced eye-catching art work as part of a creative project with the University of Central Lancashire.
Eight women, who fled their home country after the Russian invasion in February 2022, used various artistic media to create colourful canvases and body art representing their feelings towards their war-torn homeland.
Nataliia Plakhotnyk, an English teacher and artist, was one of those who took part. The 44-year-old originally stayed in her home in Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine, when the invasion began. After a year, she had to escape as her property was destroyed in the bombings.
The mum-of-one was sponsored by a Preston couple, who are teachers, and Nataliia spent her first six months living with them in Broughton. She has now moved into a place of her own in Deepdale and has recently been working for an agency in schools and nurseries throughout the city.
"I have first-hand experience of it and I can’t stop it but I didn’t want to paint something about destruction because that doubles the pain"
— Ukrainian refugee Nataliia Plakhotnyk
“I try not to think about the war because it makes me sad,” said Nataliia. “I have first-hand experience of it and I can’t stop it but I didn’t want to paint something about destruction because that doubles the pain.
“My first painting showed flowers emerging from a broken wall because flowers can grow in ruins, and they show the possibility of life after such tragedy. The other was a scene of the sea and sand because painting those scenes makes me happy.”
When Nataliia moved to Preston, she only knew one of the other Ukrainian refugees who sought refuge in Lancashire. Now she’s developed friendships with the women and is utilising her language skills to help them.
She commented: “I was an English teacher in Ukraine for 24 years so I’ve been able to use my skills to act as a translator when they go to official meetings and help them develop their English skills.”
"I was an English teacher in Ukraine for 24 years so I’ve been able to use my skills to act as a translator when they go to official meetings and help them develop their English skills"
— Nataliia Plakhotnyk
The idea behind the art workshop, led by art therapist Katrina Lahmann and held on the University’s Preston Campus, was to bring these eight women together and allow them to express their genuine and honest feelings about ‘How Does It Feel to be Ukrainian Today?’ and their hopes for the future of their country.
It was organised by Dr Alexandros Koutsoukis as part of the project ‘Bridging Borders: Learning from Ukrainians’, which aims to learn from Ukrainians themselves rather than experts, empower the local refugee community, and build bridges with the local community.
The artworks will be presented in Avenham Park, in Preston, on 15 June, as part of Refugee Week in collaboration with Homes for Ukraine.
The event was held in collaboration with Lancashire County Council, Homes for Ukraine, Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU) in Ukraine, and the University of Central Lancashire’s courses in politics, international relations, and journalism. The results of this workshop have already been informing further discussions about Ukraine. The ‘Bridging Borders: Learning from Ukrainians’ project continues as part of the University’s Twinning for Hope partnership with UzhNU.
*Photos credit to Sachin Rana
