Giffnock: Park Parish Church supports refugees from Ukraine

Around 50 people, including members of host families, gather at The Park Parish Church, in Giffnock, every Saturday to make new connections.

Volunteers provide face-to-face English lessons to those who don’t speak the language, helping them find jobs and rebuild their lives.

The project also provides an opportunity for those who are hosting refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to get to know each other and share ideas.

Rev Calum Macdonald, church minister, said “welcoming the stranger” is at the heart of the Christian message.

“We’re delighted to offer the halls as a meeting place to give people who have been through so much the opportunity to come together and make new connections as they seek to rebuild their lives,” he added.

“It is important that host families have the opportunity to compare notes and offer support and assistance where it is required.”

Known as Ukrainian Hub Giffnock, the project is spearheaded by Oksana Mavrodii – a professional musician from Ukraine who has been living in Scotland for 17 years.

Oksana, 43, said: “Ukrainians started to arrive in April and I immediately recognised the issues and the problems they were facing and I thought it would be awful if they had to go through that by themselves, so I asked our minister for help.

“It is so important that hosts are involved because this is a new learning experience for these brave people.

“By meeting and chatting to each other, they manage to solve lots of problems faster than they would have done otherwise and that is absolutely great.

Eugene Didenko (centre) with Anne and Colin Sykes

“This project brings Ukrainians and people in Scotland together.

“We eat together, sing together, laugh together and try to bring back the normality of life for those who have suffered so much.”

Oksana is musical director of the Eastwood Choir, which meets in the church and recently organised two charity concerts, raising around £5,000 in aid of people affected by the war.

She said many of the Ukrainians who use the hub have been left traumatised by the horrors they witnessed after the Russian invasion began.

“It has left a massive impact on people,” she added. “It will be always with them and the only thing they can do is learn to live with it.

“Many of them will find it difficult to access mental health services because they do not speak good English, so my hope is the group will provide a type of therapy as they talk and share their experiences.”

Eugene Didenko, 31, and his partner Yulia, 27, fled their home in Mariupol after the Russian military bombed the city and later occupied it.

The couple arrived in Scotland in May and moved in with Dr Colin Sykes and his wife Anne, who live in Eaglesham.

Eugene said he found it very difficult to talk about what he experienced after the war broke out and what he went through to get to East Renfrewshire.

“I really like Scotland and the people are generally nice, kind and very warm,” he added.

“Living with such kind, good people makes us feel very safe.

Twelve-year-old Artem (second left), from Kyiv, sought refuge with his mum Yuliia

“We come to the church nearly every Saturday and it’s a really good place to communicate with people and fellow Ukrainians.”

Eugene recently secured a job as a machine operator, while Yulia is studying to improve her English.

Asked about their long-term plans, Eugene said: “For now, we are planning to stay here because Mariupol has almost been completely destroyed and is now occupied by Russian troops.

“We feel homesick quite often and want to return to Ukraine, even though we no longer have a home.”

Colin, who is a retired hospital doctor, and his wife, a former operating theatre nurse, said they have space in their house and were determined to do what they could to help people fleeing the war.

“People kept saying that the situation in Ukraine was so hopeless and we can’t do a thing about it but we thought there is one thing we can do,” added Colin.

“We applied and, quite quickly afterwards, we were matched with Eugene and Yulia and they wrote back to us and told us what their position was.

“They’d managed to escape from Mariupol with a lot of difficulty and they had travelled through Russia into Georgia but they felt Georgia wasn’t safe and would we be prepared to take them on.”

Anne said the couple are very easy to live with.

“I have learned a lot about Ukraine and the wider situation in Europe,” she added.

“I cook, they cook and we try each other’s food, which is all part of living together.

Rev Calum Macdonald is minister at The Park Parish Church

“This welcome hub has been really great for them and the hosts.

“It is essential, really, as we often end up in the kitchen chatting, supporting each other and hearing other people’s stories and experiences.”

Clare Williams also attends the gatherings at The Park Parish Church, having agreed to host a Ukrainian woman named Yuliia and her 12-year-old son Artem, who are originally from Kyiv.

Yuliia, who worked as a nursery teacher in the Ukrainian capital, is now learning English so she can get a job here, with Artem keen to start school.

Clare and her husband Nigel said helping the family has been an opportunity for them to put their Christian faith into action.

“We were overwhelmed by the footage we saw on the TV and all the articles in the press,” added Clare.

“We were lucky enough to have a very good old friend who lives in Cambridge whose daughter-in-law is Ukrainian and she introduced Yuliia, who is one of her old school friends.

“Yuliia was living in Kyiv with her son when the war started in February. She was lucky enough to be able to go and live with her parents who live about 100 kilometres away, so she felt it was safer there but was looking to start a new life.

“What happened to them was terrible but they both now feel safe and happy and are making friends, which is lovely.”

Church of Scotland congregations have raised more than £400,000 to help support the Ukrainian Church and those in surrounding countries as they help people seeking refuge from the war.

The Church has a long history of receiving and supporting refugees and leads a multi-faith partnership called Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees.