Building a life in the UK can be a huge challenge for refugees. Having fled war or persecution, refugees still face significant barriers when it comes to resettlement including understanding a new language, finding employment and understanding various, often complex, systems in order to access basic services. 

As the Christmas season approaches, Ukrainian families who have resettled in the UK will be keeping their own festive traditions alive. For Oksana and Olha, who both came to the UK in 2022, the holiday season brings back memories of celebrations and spending time with loved ones.

Who are refugees and displaced persons? They are men, women and children fleeing war, persecution and political upheaval. They are uprooted with little warning, enduring great hardship during their flight. They become refugees when they cross borders and seek safety in another country.

In 1940 young journalist Varian Fry began a daring mission to help Jewish refugees and some of the Nazi’s most-wanted escape the Holocaust.