Volunteer thanks royal family for ‘believing' in Ukraine after receiving honour

Independent

5 hours ago

A volunteer who gave up her job to help the humanitarian response to the invasion of Ukraine has thanked the royal family for 'believing' in the war-torn country.
Hannah Beaton-Hawryluk was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Ukrainian community in Scotland by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
Mrs Beaton-Hawryluk, who lives in South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, said: 'It's very special because the last three years with the Ukrainian community has been quite a challenge.
'And to be recognised is the best thing ever because it's for the Ukrainian community.'
Asked about the current situation, she went on: 'I would say in amongst the community, the people that are already here, it's very like it was in those first days.
'They're very unsettled because of the visa extension and it's only for 18 months.
'There's a few arriving now because things are so dangerous in Ukraine and things aren't getting any better.'
Mrs Beaton-Hawryluk, who said her outfit was a 'nod to Ukraine', added that Anne was 'really interested' in her work.
She went on: 'I just wanted to say thank you to the royal family for believing in Ukraine and supporting us.'
Mrs Beaton-Hawryluk took time off from work when the fighting broke out and she became holova (chairwoman) of Edinburgh's Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) nine days after Russian President Vladimur Putin's invasion.
She later told her boss at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh that she would not be going back, and has dedicated her life to helping with the humanitarian efforts in Edinburgh.
Mrs Beaton-Hawryluk, whose father was Ukrainian, works to ensure that displaced Ukrainian children are able to continue speaking their mother tongue.