I am sure I’m not alone in finding it difficult to believe that it is now almost 12 months since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine last February. The reaction of people across the Moorlands was incredible then and continues to be today. The way that so many mobilised to help, collecting provisions, sending supplies to those displaced, driving to the Ukraine border to deliver essentials and opening homes to refugees forced from their homes, has been nothing short of heroic.
The war continues, with Russia using power as a weapon of war during the cold Ukrainian winter as well as continual military attacks. I regularly meet my friends from the Ukrainian Parliament and am humbled by their determination to fight to defend the people that elected them. They are fighting for those in Ukraine and those displaced, including their constituents living in the UK.
Making sure our friends in the UK know that we welcome them has been so important and with that in mind I have organised, together with other local MPs, an event to bring Ukrainian families, their host families and others who have worked so hard to help them together. Alton Towers will host a tea party and thanks to their generosity and the generosity of many others, we hope to bring hundreds of people together for a couple of hours where hopefully new friendships can be made and old ones renewed.
It must be so difficult, being away from home and loved ones. Knowing that you are not alone in such a situation is vital. We all hoped that our Ukrainian friends would be back home by now, safe from Russian attacks, but as the war continues, I want to make sure that our friends know they have our full support and are incredibly welcome here in Staffordshire.
