Catherine, The Princess of Wales, today stepped out to support the local and Ukrainian community at the Vsi Razom Community Hub in the Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell. This was the Princess Kate‘s second engagement of the week. Yesterday, she joined Prince of Wales to celebrate the Windrush Generation and Black History Month in Cardiff. The Prince and Princess of Wales have been actively highlighting the troubles faced by the Ukrainian people due to the Russian invasion.
The hub was established by the two local women, Natalia Vil and Ashleigh Toomey, to support the Ukrainians who were trying to build a new life in the UK due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. Princess Kate’s visit coincided with the first anniversary of the hub. The name of the hub ‘Vsi Razom’ means ‘all together’ in Ukrainian.
The Princess of Wales is at the Vsi Razom Community Hub in the Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell to hear about the work the organisation has been doing to support those who have arrived in the local area from Ukraine as a result of the ongoing conflict. Loving the outfit! pic.twitter.com/wWWugLUVO6
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) October 4, 2023
From The Daily Mail’s report, ” The Princess of Wales’ office contacted the founders of Vsi Razom, which means All Together in Ukrainian, to ask if she could come and see the work they were doing. ‘I thought it was someone joking,’ said Natalia Vil, who co-founded the hub with Ashleigh Toomey to help people back in Ukraine“.
During her time at the hub, Catherine met with the volunteers and heard about the different services the hub provides. She helped unpacking donations of essential items such as food and clothes with young Ukrainians who have moved to the UK in the last year. The packages will be transported back to Ukraine, providing aid to those directly affected by the conflict in the country.
The Princess of Wales is visiting the Vsi Razom Ukraine community hub in Bracknell, which supports refugees displaced by the war with Russia and ships aid donations to Ukraine 🇺🇦 The royal family has continued to show its support for Ukraine since war’s outbreak last year. pic.twitter.com/wXkfNL5Iem
— Roya Nikkhah (@RoyaNikkhah) October 4, 2023
She told the British and Ukrainian volunteers and refugees helping out at the hub in the Lexicon shopping centre: “Thank you. Please keep up the amazing work you are doing. It’s great to see the work that’s going on. Kate asked “is there a technique?” as she began filling her box, and was advised to put the heaviest objects at the bottom. It must feel good for them to be able to do something for the people back home. After packing up her box, the Princess penned a touching message, writing: “We are all thinking of you.”” – Hello! Mag report.
For the mother-of-three children Kate Middleton, its always easy to get into playful mood with the young children. Kate joined an arts and crafts session with local children. The sessions provide a vital lifeline for displaced Ukrainians to find support, advice, and build friendships in their local community.
Kate designed a Ukrainian ribbon brooch in the national colours of the country that she proudly pinned to her jumper.
Continuing from Hello! mag “After her efforts, Kate quipped: “I’m not sure you’re going to be able to sell this one. The royal also sat with three-year-old Sofiya Ovchinnik, the daughter of hub co-founder Natalia, and helped her complete a collage of paper flowers. The little girl was dressed in a pink dress, with a beaded necklace and a tiara, with her mother joking that was her “normal” outfit and she had not dressed up for the visit. The sessions at the centre provide a vital lifeline for displaced Ukrainians to find support, advice and build friendships in their local community”.
The Princess of Wales added her hand-print to a painting of a tree that marked the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – 24 February 2022. The Princess joked that “I’ve never done a handprint with a glove on. It will be a bit cleaner, normally the children end up putting paint everywhere.”
The visit concluded with a meeting with the local psychologist, Tetiana Sverdlova, who runs who runs weekly sessions to provide mental health support to local Ukrainians adjusting to life in the UK and spend time with families who are being supported by the Hub. Mrs Sverdlova came to Britain under the Homes for Ukrainian People programme in April 2023 and was given shelter by a family in Bracknell.
What The Princess of Wales wore to Vsi Razom Community Hub
- White UFO shirt
- Cefinn Janie Sleeveless Funnel Neck Jumper in Dark Grey – (New – Thanks to Middleton Maven for the id)
- Sézane Mottled Grey Martin Trousers – (New – Thanks to KateMiddletonStyled for the id)
- Shyla London Rosalia Earrings – (Repeat – debuted in in September 2023 when she visited Leeds and Lancaster.)
- J. Crew Avery Pumps – (Repeat – debuted during Canada tour in 2016)
