- 20/12/2022
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
I was delighted to meet 15 students on the 14 December 2022 who were studying at the Ukraine Blind School in Kharkiv before it was bombed by the Russian Army. The students had earlier been to Buckingham Palace and were visiting Parliament with the Headteacher of their school and the Mayor of Kharkiv. The Polish Blind School heard of their plight and then drove to Ukraine to pick up 59 students and take them back to Poland where they have been staying for the past 9 months and continuing their studies. The Thomas Pocklington Trust supported their visit to the UK. The event was hosted by Marsha De Cordova MP.
The students then said they would sing for me and sang both the Ukrainian and British national anthems. The Choir was brilliant and it was so moving to hear their beautiful voices which I know will one day be heard again in Ukraine. I was presented with a handmade ceramic heart. They then had a tour of the Parliament.
The week-long trip was sponsored by the Thomas Pocklington Trust, a national charity which supports blind and partially sighted people. More information about their work can be found on their website and Twitter account:
Thomas Pocklington Trust – Thomas Pocklington Trust (pocklington-trust.org.uk)