Ukrainian families who have settled in the North East and North Yorkshire have celebrated Orthodox Christmas of their home country – hoping for a better 2023 after fleeing the Ukraine/Russia conflict.

As many families in the UK marked the first full weekend of 2023, Ukrainian families that have been rehomed with hosts in Northallerton, Richmond, Bedale, and Darlington among other places, sat down with each other for a Christmas celebration over the weekend.

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On Saturday (January 7), Ukrainian people often celebrate Christmas, due to different Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches within Ukraine using the old 'Julian' or the 'new' Gregorian calendars for their church festivals.  

Spending their first Christmas in the UK, stories were shared of settling in North Yorkshire, joined by their UK hosts.

The Northern Echo: Ukranian family Anton, Natalia, Artem 7 and Nika 9. Picture: NORTHERN ECHOUkranian family Anton, Natalia, Artem 7 and Nika 9. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

One family that was celebrating the festivities on Saturday was Ukrainian family Anton, Natalia, Artem, 7, and Nika, 9, who have lived in Crakehall, near Bedale, for the last 8 month with hosts Alison and Mark Williams.

After fleeing from Ukraine in February 2022, Anton, Natalia, and their two children made a temporary home in Moldova – but travelled to the UK to live with the Williams family through the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme.

The Northern Echo: The festivities begin in the Williams household. Picture: ALISON WILLIAMSThe festivities begin in the Williams household. Picture: ALISON WILLIAMS (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Despite knowing very little English before coming to the UK, Anton and Natalia have both managed to find jobs, help their community, and become ‘friends for life’ with their UK hosts, while Artem and Nika are flourishing at school.

Later this month, the Ukrainians will be moving into their own home, due to the Williams family looking to adopt – and are excited to see what the next chapter in the UK brings for them.

The Northern Echo: The Ukrainian family prepared Shishlak, a native Ukrainian dish, for everyone to enjoy during the festivities on Saturday (January 7). Picture: ALISON WILLIAMS The Ukrainian family prepared Shishlak, a native Ukrainian dish, for everyone to enjoy during the festivities on Saturday (January 7). Picture: ALISON WILLIAMS (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Looking to 2023, Anton and Natalia have expressed their hopes to hold strong ties with the Bedale and Crakehall communities that nurtured them when they first arrived in the UK – but they also hope for better futures for those families still trapped in Ukraine and the daily horrors that greet them.

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Back in Ukraine, the conflict is still raging on – as reports suggest that a 36-hour truce set out by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark Christmas festivities had been ‘ignored’ by some of Moscow’s forces pressing ahead with the nearly 11-month invasion.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Saturday in its daily readout on the invasion that “fighting has continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period”.

For now, the future might look more uncertain for people back in Ukraine – but the hopes from families at the Northallerton Christmas event is to see peace once again for their beloved country.