West Devon Borough Council has hosted a fun-filled event for 150 Ukrainian guests, including 40 children, who have moved to the borough since the outbreak of war in the Ukraine earlier this year.

Held on Saturday 26 November at the Bedford Hotel, Tavistock, the council brought the community together with the help of its dedicated Homes for Ukraine support officer, Tatiana Lytvynenko, who herself moved to the town from Ukraine in April.

The event brought together friends and families, new and old, who have had similar experiences and ordeals. In addition to West Devon Borough Council, Citizens Advice and the Council for Voluntary Service were also available to offer support, advice and information.

Meanwhile, the youngest members were kept amused by entertainers Entertainingly Different, Cher’s Funky Faces and Sciencedipity.

Cllr Neil Jory, leader of West Devon Borough Council, said: ‘It was an absolute pleasure spending time with some of our newest residents of the borough and to find out how they are settling into our community.’

Cllr Caroline Mott, mayor of West Devon Borough Council, said: ‘There were such a lot of wonderful people with incredible experiences of how they have come to live in West Devon. It’s hard to put yourself in the shoes of these people who have had to leave all they know behind and start again in a new country. It was so lovely to spend time with everyone, and I particularly loved the joy the children experienced with the entertainers.’

Olena Kulakovska, one of the Ukrainian guests, said the event had been ‘a holiday for us’. ‘It was organised just perfectly, everything was thought out to the smallest detail. A children’s area with entertainment, well, this is happiness for us mothers, the children had fun with all their hearts, and we moms had a rest.’