Emotional Evening for Ukrainian Students and Refugees

Around 120 Ukrainian students and refugees attended a welcome evening at SERC's SPACE Theatre in Bangor on Thursday 6 October.

The evening provided an opportunity for students enrolled in campuses in Bangor, Downpatrick and Lisburn to come together to enjoy an evening of music and food.  They were joined by the Mayor of Ards and North Down Cllr Karen Douglas, Deputy Mayor Cllr Craig Blaney, Ken Webb, Principal SERC and John Nugent, Chair of SERC Governing Body.

Tessa Barrett, Deputy Head of School of Hospitality, Management, Tourism and Languages said, “We were delighted that so many students were able to join us, bringing along both parents and children. Many of the students do not know each other as they are living in different areas of Northern Ireland and studying ESOL (English for Students of Other Languages) at different campuses, so it was a great opportunity for them to network with other people from home, and for the children and older people to meet with others of a similar age."

Guests were treated to a number of Ukrainian folk songs and some well-known rock ‘n’ roll hits including songs from Elvis, from Ukrainian guitarist Val Herasymovych.  A group of ten Ukrainian children took to the stage to sing some traditional children’s songs and one child, 11-year-old Elizaveta, (known as Lisa), gave a fantastic solo rendition of the winning Eurovision 2022 song, "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, which lifted everyone's spirits.

Tessa continued, “We were all moved when a special request came from our Ukrainian guests to sing the Nationalhymne der Ukraine (national anthem), which proved extremely emotional.”

Participants enjoyed a buffet which included Ukrainian foods, researched and prepared by SERC Chef lecturers Thomas Cluney and Brian Magill and students from the Level 3 Professional Cookery course.  Students from the Level 2 Hospitality and Tourism Traineeship provided beverage and hospitality services for the evening.

Following the refreshments, young people from Ards CCE, led by Niall McClean, played a selection of traditional tunes, much to the enjoyment of guests.

Tessa concluded, “We are delighted that the evening proved such a success and we have had great feedback, with many people saying it had lifted their spirits and thanking us for organising the event.  We can only imagine what it is like to uproot and flee thousands of miles away from one’s home to seek refuge in another country. The event was a gesture to welcome Ukrainians to the local area, to encourage connections and for the chance to experience some of Northern Ireland’s famous hospitality.  We do hope to be able to organise more get togethers in the future.”