16/06/2026
Refugee Week: Sharing Stories
Today, we are sharing Inga's story.
Inga is the Communications Officer for our Circuit. She came to the UK from Ukraine after the outbreak of war in her homeland, joining many others who were forced to leave their homes, families and familiar surroundings in search of safety.
We are grateful to Inga for sharing her story with us.
I am Ukrainian, from Donbas. I moved to the UK almost four years ago after the war started.
For me, the war in Ukraine started in 2014, when Russians came and occupied Donetsk, where I was studying. I moved back to my parents' town, in Selydove. In February 2022, I woke up after my 14-month-old son cried early. I saw the news and realized the big war had started.
We thought it could happen, but we could not imagine a full invasion, and that this horror would continue for many years. We stayed in our town for three weeks, considering what to do. People in East Ukraine were trapped in some cities, so we decided to move to West Ukraine, further from the frontline.
When the UK launched the programme "Homes for Ukraine," we found a lovely family who agreed to share their house with us. We lived together for 11 months - four adults and four children In one house. I am lucky to have met them and felt so welcomed. We consider them our English family.
But in Ukraine, the war continues.
In October 2024, my town was occupied and damaged. My entire family had to leave their homes. The hardest thing was for the oldest members, who never considered leaving.
In May 2025, our house was destroyed - a five-story building, completely flattened. After that, I knew I had no place to return to. I would never see my town again; never go back to my school, never visit my parents house, never eat tomatoes from my grandma's allotment or walk through the streets where I knew almost everyone. A town with 20,000 people Is now a ghost town of 400 people and many destroyed buildings.
When we arrived in Bristol, we found a Ukrainian Hub at Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church. They created a very friendly place for everyone. People baked cakes, made tea, organised English lessons, and wrote notices in two languages (this was very thoughtful, because for many Ukralnlans Russian is thelr first language).
Later they were looking for a Church administrator, and I applied. I was very scared to go there, but again, a smile and kind words can change a lot, and I got the job. For more than two years I have given the same smile and kindness back. Additionally this year, I have become the Communication Officer for the BSG Circult. I strive to do my best there because I believe that if you want to change the world, you should start with yourself and put good into the world.
I am always grateful for how lucky we are, even through our situation, because I feel welcome here, I can live a full life, and I can see my family - some every week, some once a year, and even my cats are here with us. My kids are safe, and I am safe. That is the most important thing. I hope that one day the war will finish and Ukraine will be rebuilt. But it has taken so many lives and destroyed so many others, I am not sure if we will ever be happy and carefree again.
