On Friday last week, I organised a Tea Party at Alton Towers for Ukrainian
refugees and their host families living in North Staffordshire. I was delighted
with our turnout of over 200 guests who came to enjoy the delicious cakes and
sandwiches provided by the Alton Towers Resort team. It was lovely to have
fellow North Staffordshire MPs Aaron Bell, Jack Brereton, Jo Gideon and
Jonathan Gullis join me in hosting the event, as well as Deputy Lieutenant
Prakash Samani who introduced the event and shared his experiences as a
refugee who came to Leek 50 years ago.
It was a special honour to have with us Olga Stefanishyna, a Ukrainian MP and
the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of
Ukraine. Olga shared her own family’s experiences of the war, having tragically
lost her husband last year when he was killed on a humanitarian mission in
Ukraine. Her children are currently based in the UK under the Homes for
Ukraine scheme. Olga’s speech was moving, insightful and it underlined how
important it is that the UK continues to stand with and send military support to
Ukraine, as well as other European countries doing so too. It was great to
accompany Olga around the room as she met our Ukrainian guests, witnessing
the grief felt in such tough times but with many cheerful faces enjoying the
chance to come together.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors we were able to host a fantastic
event with great food, facilities and company. It was lovely to see so many
local Ukrainian families coming together in a relaxed format and making new
friends. We finished the event by having all the children come up to the stage
to collect their own Alton Towers Teddy Bears, which were so popular we
almost ran out!
