We Have Guests

We Have Guests is a long-form project that aims to provide a platform to Ukrainian Refugees who are sheltering here in the UK from the war in Ukraine. The project began in February 2022 and has since become a way for Ukrainians to share their experiences of the war, stories from times that came before, as well as their realities of sheltering in the UK.

In the early weeks and months of the Russian ‘special operation’ in Ukraine, and as the Homes for Ukraine scheme started to gain traction, Ukrainians began arriving in my local communtiy of Winchester in Hampshire. I knew I wanted to do my part in supporting them, but like many Brits up and down the country I didn’t know how. I was a student so I couldn’t become a host or sponsor. But what I could do was donate my time and practice. So I began volenteering at local refugee support groups run by local charities and churches where I starting having conversations with Ukrainians not just about the war, but their lives, families, friends, careers, pets, holidays, and everything in between.

I started this project as a complete outsider, with little to no knowledge of the language, culture and history of Ukraine. But through these conversations, I was learning more about what it meant to be Ukrainian. I went from being a complete outsider to as close to an insider as you can possibly get without being Ukrainian. It was then I realised what this project had to be. It had to be a platform for these stories. These stories had the power to educate the British public, leading to better understanding of not just the war in Ukraine, but refugees all together. This is what the project aims to do; support and educate.

Fast forward a year and past the first anniversary of the war and I have attended over 100 refugee support meetings and have spoken in depth with nearly 50 Ukrainian refugees about their stories. This project has taken the form of a book, which was my final year degree project of the Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at UAL, London College of Communication. This book features 10 individuals, couples and families I have had the pleasure of speaking with. I am also proud to call them my friends.

The book itself is hand bound, with each guest having their own chapter featuring a written passage and photo series. It was paramount for me that each guest should be represented how they wanted to be represented. Therefore, the book was made collaboratively, with each guest having full control over the words written and photos used. Anything they didn’t want featured was not been included.

The project is ongoing and will not be concluded until Ukrainians can go home free from the persecution of war.