Ukrainian Social Clubs have a proud heritage in the UK. They tend to be affiliated with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, which was founded in 1946, but some clubs date back even further. Founded by Displaced Persons forced to flee Ukraine after WWII, they have been fortified and strengthened by new generations of migrants, refugees and British-born Ukrainians who work together to protect and share their culture, language and traditions.
On Cheetham Hill Road in Manchester, a Ukrainian Social Club was established in 1929 on a single rented floor. One of the key founders was Joseph Lesniowsky, who had come to the UK in around 1909 and became an important leader for the Ukrainian community. They moved premises several times before purchasing 188 Cheetham Hill Road in 1943. The bar in the club gave the centre an income to sustain its activities.
This club was heavily used during WWII. Ukrainians serving in the Polish Armed Forces under British command and those serving in the Canadian and US armies stationed in the UK came to join in the social and cultural activities that took place there.
After the war, there was another stream of people who gained a much-needed warm welcome at the Manchester Ukrainian Club. This wave of immigrants and displaced people who came to Britain in the aftermath of WWII are often referred to as the ‘old immigrants’ (stari emihiranty). They arrived from Displaced Persons camps in Western Germany, Austria and Italy. Some had been taken from their homes as forced labour by the Germans. Others had fled in fear of Soviet rule.
The Manchester Club still exists in the Cheetham Hill area, presently located on Smedley Road. But It wasn’t just this city that welcomed the new arrivals. Ukrainian communities and their social clubs were set up around the country.
Ewhen Chymera is the Director of the Bradford Ukrainian Club. A 3rd generation Ukrainian, his grandparents were among the founding members of the club, which was established in 1948. His grandparents had worked in German labour camps and were unable to return home – those that did go back to Soviet Union-held Ukraine were declared traitors by Stalin and sent to the gulags.
They arrived in Bradford after the war as refugees and worked in the textile mills where plenty of jobs were available. Ewhen’s grandparents were two of some 2000 active members of the Ukrainian Association in the town when it was first formed.
The Bradford Club bought premises on Claremont in 1950. Cultural activities like a choir, dance ensemble and sports clubs were established and flourished. A Ukrainian Saturday School was established in 1953 that supported over 100 children in the social club.
As the community established itself, grew and integrated it needed a new space. A larger venue was secured on Legrams Lane in 1981 which remains home to the club today.
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