Peterborough Ukraine Independence Day: Community picnic thrown as families fleeing war mark national day

A community picnic has been held in Peterborough to celebrate Ukraine Independence Day.

The family-fun event took place over the Bank Holiday weekend on 27 August at Orton Mere, beneath the Nene Park flyover.

There was plenty to enjoy on the day, including games, arts and crafts, a bouncy castle, children’s entertainment and music.

The picnic at the Nene Park-run site took place from midday until 6pm, with residents able to just pop along on the day.

Funding for the event came from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

SEE MORE: Ukrainian cat travels over 2,500 miles through five European countries to return to Peterborough home

The picnic comes as Ukraine Independence Day was celebrated in the city on Wednesday, 24 August.

It was another chance for Peterborough to show that it is standing in unity with the country during the Russian invasion.

The city has already shown its solidarity by hosting refugees fleeing the country and offering a wide-range of community support to help them integrate in the UK.

Since March, Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion have been able to apply for a visa to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

The scheme, also known as "Homes for Ukraine", allows individuals to host refugees for a minimum of six months.

As of August 2, 205 visas had been issued for refugees staying with hosts in Peterborough – 137 of which had arrived in the UK as of the day before.

Data from the Department of Education shows 63 refugee pupils had been offered school places in Peterborough as of July 26, the latest available data.

Peterborough City Council has also lit up the trees in Bridge Street blue and yellow to match the colours of Ukraine’s national flag and will continue to do so.

Take a look through the following images to see how Peterborough marked the day: