Adults and children wearing bright traditional costume were on hand welcoming guests with Ukrainian korovai bread in Bray last week at the official opening of North Wicklow Ukrainian Community Centre.
The centre, located in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Hall in the Quinsborough Road, has been a lifeline for the Ukrainian community in Bray and North Wicklow over the last year.
Minister for Community Development and Charities, Joe O’Brien, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, joined more than 100 people from the local community last Thursday, June 29, for the opening ceremony.
Bray Area Partnership’s chairperson Aoife Flynn Kennedy said that the word ‘community’ summed up what the centre was all about.
She added that it had provided “a warm and welcoming space over the past year for local Ukrainian people to meet, get support and information and take part in a wide range of activities”.
Guests take part in the traditional bread and salt welcoming ceremony at the official opening of the Ukrainian Community Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow
Alina Vylka, a Ukrainian woman currently living in Wicklow remarked:
“The war ravaged my homeland, Ukraine, left me without a home, a job, and the comforts of my familiar life. Having lost everything dear to me, I found solace here, in beautiful Ireland. I would like to particularly acknowledge the Ukrainian Centre, which has become a hub of unity and support for me. Your boundless love for Ukraine and the multitude of programmes for children and adults have inspired me and helped restore my faith in the future.”
The lively event featured performances of Ukrainian songs, and guests were served borscht and other national dishes.
Ukrainian children proudly showed off their artwork in an exhibition called From Home to Home.
Each child had created a drawing in the shape of their own region of Ukraine depicting their personal experience of their first year in Ireland and their journey from a home in Ukraine to finding a new home in Ireland.
Minister Joe O’Brien and the children then stuck the last piece of the artwork onto a jigsaw map of Ukraine to complete this impressive art installation.
The Minister commented:
“I am really impressed by this symbolic ‘From Home to Home’ jigsaw. We have some extremely talented artists among us. The last piece of the jigsaw puzzle fittingly represents the final step in your journey; your journey toward unity and inclusiveness.”
A choir of Ukrainian adults and children sing to guests at the Ukrainian Community Centre opening ceremony in Bray
Bray Area Partnership works closely with local organisations in Bray and North Wicklow to provide a space that is warm and welcoming and offers information and support across a wide range of social, educational and recreational group activities.
The Ukrainian Community Centre for Bray and North Wicklow is funded through the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) which is the country’s primary social inclusion programme.
Nationally, by the end of last year, 5,331 Ukrainians received one-to-one supports through SICAP. In 2022, SICAP als0 supported 496 events targeting Ukrainians, with over 17,000 attendees. SICAP also supported 205 activities specifically for children and families from Ukraine with over 14,000 people participating.
