Lesley Grady is Project Officer for the diocese's Support for Ukraine team, which has helped to welcome over 900 Ukrainian guests to the area. For Lesley the work has become more of a vocation than a job.
How did I end up here at the Diocese? It wasn’t planned. I had been a teacher for 30 years and was pondering what my next steps were. I was retired from education but not life. Then a world tragedy struck…February 2022; the war in Ukraine broke out. I was sat at my sewing machine making a quilt, pondering life with the television on in the background. The news caught my eye; the first films of mums and children, with their whole life packed up in a small suitcase and backpack was being shown. I watched the unfolding story with tears rolling down my face. Images of my two nieces and their children having to flee their homes with only the things they could carry flew into my mind. But why am I telling you this? Because at that moment a question sprang into my mind. “If this was my family, who would help them?”
And that’s where it started. Firstly, it was collecting items for the aid boxes and then before you knew it, I was recruiting hosts, organising matching calls, chasing the Home Office for visas, welcoming guests to the new English homes etc. It soon became obvious that the war was not going to end and that the Homes for Ukraine scheme was here to stay for a while. The diocesan response to this crisis was amazing! Hubs were quickly formed in every corner of the diocese. Homes and hearts were opened, and strangers were welcomed in with open arms and quickly became friends, then family.
Thankfully, Herefordshire Council provided a grant to allow our team to be formed, and the work to continue. We became part of a unique community network that supported our Ukrainian friends in so many ways. To me it was a true reflection of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" as found in Matthew and Luke, and highlighting the command to love your neighbour as yourself from Leviticus and Galatians. All the time, in my mind was the thought: I would want someone to help my family if the boot was on the other foot.
Being based in Leominster, it made sense that I focused on this area for the voluntary aspect of my work. A regular gathering started. Fortnightly, the Ukrainian guests and British hosts would meet and offer support for each other. As time progressed, it became more of a community for the Ukrainians to gather. A safe space where they could express their feelings and emotions in their own language; share their news from home; share their love of food! Our get togethers became my favourite time of the week. We would meet in the home of a very kind local person and sit and chat. Okay, I didn’t understand what was being said but I knew that in that room there was love and support for each other. There was shared faith and kinship. I would be there to offer that extra little bit of practical support, and reassurance that they were not alone. Often, I would have a tap on the shoulder, and I would be faced with a sad smile and the words, “Can you help me, Lesley, please?”. From this grew friendship and trust.
As the project grew, so did the number of requests for help. Within the Ukrainian community, people shared the information that there was this team at the diocese – new word for them – who would help and support them. We have become a place of trust, love and a beacon of hope. They know that we are constantly thinking about them and their loved ones at home and praying for an end to the war.
What does my typical day look like as Project Officer for the Support for Ukraine Team? I’m not sure I have a typical day, but my actions can vary between speaking to potential new hosts, sorting out school places, being an advocate at the Benefits office, writing letters to the Home Office, finding water meters, visiting the Ukrainian embassy – to name just a few things I do. No two days are the same. And I love that.
What next? I will continue to ask for more hosts – sadly we do need them. I will continue to support the amazing hosts and guests within our communities. I will continue to ask difficult questions on their behalf. Hopefully, one day I will no longer be needed by the Ukrainian community; only as a friend. But I will be ready with the new skills I’ve learnt over the last three years to help and support others who may need our support, help and love.
I don’t think I have finished the quilt I was sewing that day back in February 2022 but one day I will be redundant, I hope, and then I will dust off my sewing machine and complete it. I will call it my quilt of love, hope and friendship.
If you have any questions about the work we do as the Support for Ukraine Team, we would love to chat to you or any groups that you belong to. Please email us or give me a call on 07563 382756.
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