Monday, 16 September 2024
Aberdeen Friends of Ukraine Dinner Brings Together Supporters of Ukrainian Community in the City
This weekend we held the Aberdeen Friends of Ukraine Gala Dinner at the beautiful Elphinstone Hall. It was a long awaited occasion to celebrate the efforts of all the volunteers, third sector organisations, businesses, and communities in Aberdeen, who came together in an unprecedented effort to support Ukraine and Ukrainians fleeing the war.
We were delighted to host the Consul of Ukraine in Edinburgh, Andrii Kuslii, and the Lord and Lady Provost of Aberdeen.We also had the pleasure of being joined by elected representatives, Kevin Stewart MSP, and Aberdeen City councillors Jennifer Bonsell and Michael Kusznir. Representatives of Aberdeen’s third sectors including Stella’s Voice, Abernescessities, and Polish Association who all support Ukrainians in Aberdeen, joined us to celebrate as well.
The evening started with the awards of gratitude to our long time supporters and volunteers, including the team at Rosemount Learning Centre, Albert Thomson, and the team at Subsea 7. We gave thanks to the Ukrainian School teachers and volunteers, and enjoyed the performance from the children of the Ukrainian School. During the dinner, Illia Sarazhyn, a Ukrainian student of Robert Gordon College, read a poem by Robert Burns. A Ukrainian music band Dva Kryla performed for the guests after dinner. The evening finished with the auction to raise funds for the Hub, with items including a Ukrainian flag signed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK.
We are grateful to all guests for joining and to all in Aberdeen community who has been supporting us through the years.
