Ukrainian refugees in Oswestry celebrate their Independence Day

In addition to celebrating independence, refugees in the Oswestry area also wanted to thank their local hosts for the help given to them.

More than a hundred people attended the day of celebration which saw the hosts prepare an abundance of delicious traditional dishes.

They also sang traditional songs and gave a short slide show about Ukrainian history and culture.

Oswestry Mayor Jay Moore and Councillor Olly Rose, deputy mayor of Oswestry were in attendance on the day.

Councillor Rose said: "It went really well, it was very well attended. The event was great, it was organised by a group of Ukrainian guests themselves to thank their hosts and to celebrate the independence day

"They organised it all, cooked the food and were dressed in their traditional clothes and sang traditional songs for us.

"It was lovely to see their sideshow of how beautiful Ukraine was pre-war."

Both councillor Olly Rose and Mike Isherwood are among the volunteers involved in setting up and volunteering at the Oswestry Area Refugee Support Hub which operates at the Guildhall Oswestry from 10am to 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Councillor Rose said: "We started the hub in May and it is a place for them to come and meet each other and get advice.

"We are actually covering a large area, and have people coming from as far as Powys as we are their closest hub."

There are still many Ukrainian families trying to flee war-torn areas and looking for hosts which there is now a shortage of.

Anyone considering hosting and wishing to discuss with local hosts about their experiences can contact councillors Olly Rose or Mike Isherwood.