UNTIL THERE IS PEACE News

We were extremely grateful to the Reverend David Potterton and St Michael & All Angels Church for their generosity in supporting our concert held on 19 November with the aim to raise funds for people living in desperate circumstances in Ukraine. As David explained to a capacity audience, the Church and its community has been extremely active in collecting and delivering crucial supplies to Ukraine for some time and continues its work to do so. He emphasised the importance of sending those things that friends on the ground in Ukraine are telling him are absolutely needed to make the maximum difference examples of which are baby food and tinned and other food supplies for men on the front line.

Of course the other, and important, aim of the concert was to entertain. So RMVC, with friends Romsey Voices and two talented young soloists Lily Visser and Thomas Grewcock from Brockenhurst College, did just that with a programme of music featuring something for everyone. Especially poignant was a piece sung by RMVC called The Prayer of the Children having resonance with the plight of children in Ukraine. We were delighted on the night to have present in the audience Lidiia, Serhii and their son Mykyta, a Ukrainian family hosted in West Wellow by RMVC choir member Mick Summerhayes and his wife Dorte. The family’s story can be read below.

OUR THANKS

Once more to David, the Church and the on the night church volunteers. To our wonderfully appreciative audience without whose help the £2500 raised for this critical cause would not have been achieved.

We thank our Chairman Kevin Cleary and Concert Secretary Mike Bull for organising the concert, and as always our amazing Musical Director Marion Maxey and our equally amazing accompanist Richard Stannard. BUT a concert would not be a concert without the singers. Well done and thank you to Lily and Thomas – we loved your performances. Thanks again to Romsey Voices for joining with us and finally ‘Boys’ thanks to you.

FROM UKRAINE TO WEST WELLOW – Lidiia, Serhii Mykyta’s story

When chorister and retired local GP Mick and his wife Dorte opened their hearts and their home to host Serhii, Lidiia and Mykyta from Ukraine, a wonderful symbiotic relationship was the happy result. Mick tells the story………

“We just wanted to help. We certainly had the space, we definitely had the compassion, but trying to jump Government hurdles to find a family to support was getting us nowhere. Luckily, we also had a friend in Scotland with a Russian husband. Appalled by the events in Ukraine, they started a Hosting Movement to tackle the all-important job of matching families in need to hosts in the UK. On paper, Serhii, whose back injury prohibited him from joining the Ukrainian army, his wife Lidiia and their 16-year-old son Mykyta, with a dream to become a dentist, seemed the perfect match for us, and so it transpired. When finally Dorte and I stood waving our Ukrainian flag at Heathrow to welcome a very tired, suitcase-laden family it was the start of a great, and we anticipate, enduring friendship.

Many people have also opened their hearts to our lovely family since they moved in with us giving both emotional and practical help. The schools, the incredible Freedom Church, our neighbours, including one teaching LIdiia English, our GP and the health service. The list goes on. Serhii, a lorry driver has found work and now delivers car parts across Europe. Lidiia, having once held a professional role in Ukraine, first picked fruit locally and now is employed with a Steel Fabricator in Romsey. Mykyta has had a seamless transition from Mountbatten School to Barton Peveril College. The joy of having them living with us is profound, and as we have helped them to live happily in the UK after leaving their war-ridden homeland, they have given back to us both happiness and practical help in so very many ways.

However, I think the most touching moment came recently when Serhii returned from two long weeks away driving in Europe. As he drew up outside the house and saw us, without prompting and in perfect English he said, “It is so good for me to be back to ‘Home Sweet Home’”.

“Now that really is the best any of us could have asked for.”