Natalie Yemelyanova remembers being overwhelmed by the kindness of York people when she and her daughter Polina, then 12, arrived from Ukraine as traumatised refugees four years ago.
Four months earlier they had been woken at 4.30am in their flat in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin by the sound of Russian warplanes roaring overhead and bombs falling.
Out of their window, Natalie could see the roads clogged with queues of traffic heading westwards out of the city.
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“There was this huge line of cars going past,” Natalie, now 52, recalls.
![Natalie Yemelyanova]()
Natalie and Andrew at Fairfax House (Image: Stephen Lewis)
They knew at once what it was: just the evening before, there had been talk that an invasion was imminent.
But still, it threw Natalie into a panic. “My thought was: is it safe to stay, or to go,” she says. “I couldn’t decide.”
Then an inner voice told her she had to do something. “We just couldn’t stay,”
She and Polina teamed up with a neighbour, and in his car they joined the queues heading west out of Kyiv for the Polish border and safety.
The roads were blocked, and the westbound traffic barely moved. Occasionally, desperate to make progress, they were forced to drive west on the empty east-bound lane.
It took two days to reach the Polish border. For a while they stayed with a friend in Holland.
But as the war dragged on, Natalie realised they needed to find a longer-term solution.
As a young woman, she had studied in London. So she and Polina headed to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Polina was offered a place at a school in York – and they arrived here about three months after the Russian invasion.
Natalie couldn’t believe how welcoming people were. There were constant knocks on the door of their landlady’s home as people brought them supplies.
She also remembers how extremely helpful the local authorities were.
“It was unbelievable,” she says. “So much kindness. An amazing experience.”
She and her daughter were still traumatised. For a while, Polina would barely eat or speak.
Natalie herself found it difficult to sleep at night – until she made the deliberate decision to stop watching the news about home.
“I managed somehow to try to cut myself off from it,” she said.
Gradually, the pair settled. Polina developed an interest in drama at school. And Natalie began looking for a job.
Back at home, she had been personal assistant to a high-powered businesswoman. She learned that York Civic Trust was advertising for an admin assistant, applied, was interviewed, and got the job.
She was nervous at first– but it was one of the best things that could have happened, she says.
“It is the best place to work,” she said. “The team is just great, and everyone is so supportive. I love my job and I’m so grateful.”
York Civic Trust chief executive Andrew Morrison is delighted with how Natalie has fitted in.
She goes way beyond her admin assistant duties, and has become an essential part of the team, he says – taking the lead on things like bookings at Fairfax House and managing the civic trust membership database.
Her personality, experience and perspective make for a better workplace all round, he says. “She has fitted in incredibly well!”
Natalie still desperately hopes for an end to the war in her country. “All the people who stayed there are heroes to me,” she said.
In the meantime, she’s hoping to join other members of the Ukrainian community in York to celebrate Vyshyvanka Day at the Merchant Taylors Hall on May 14.
The day, a celebration of all things Ukrainian – particularly the national dress – has been held every year at the hall for the past three years.
“The Merchant Taylors love working with and hosting the Ukrainian community,” said John Vincent, of the Company of Merchant Taylors of York. “Members of the company feel very strongly about showing support to the community, and are particularly delighted to be able to host Vyshyvanka Day, which is in part a celebration of traditional Ukrainian national dress”
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