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Towcester twins with Ukraine city in 'emotional moment'

Oleh Naida Young man with short dark hair presents older man with an envelope. A flag is visible behind themOleh Naida
Oleh Naida presented the twinning invitation to Volodymyr Levko, mayor of Zhydachiv

The mayor of an English town has described the twinning with a Ukrainian city as an "emotional moment".

Towcester in south Northamptonshire has twinned with Zhydachiv, which is near the war-torn city of Lviv.

Volunteers in Towcester have been working with a former Zhydachiv resident - who now lives locally - to organise six aid missions to Ukraine.

The town council invited the Ukrainian city's mayor to be part of Towcester's first-ever twinning link.

Steve Challen Young man with short dark hair presentsSteve Challen
Oleh Naida returned to Towcester to present the mayor with the acceptance of the twinning proposal from his Ukrainian counterpart

Collections for the Ukraine deliveries have been organised by St Lawrence Church in Towcester and the Tove Benefice, and the aid sent to a trusted volunteer network in Lviv.

Deliveries organised by local groups and Oleh Naida, who was originally from Ukraine, have included 20 vehicles for military and emergency evacuation purposes, two of which were former NHS ambulances.

Steve Challen Four men stand at the back of an ambulance at the Ukraine borderSteve Challen
Aid sent to Ukraine from Towcester has included two ex-NHS ambulances for frontline paramedics

Mr Naida, who comes from the city of Zhydachiv but now lives with his family in Towcester, delivered a twinning invitation to Volodymyr Levko, the mayor of Zhydachiv.

Towcester mayor David Tarbun said: "This is an emotional moment for the Tove Benefice team and our Ukrainian guests who have worked so tirelessly for the past two years helping the friends and family who they have left behind to defend their country.

"As we approach the second anniversary of the invasion, it is ever more important that we continue to show our solidarity and support for them.

"What better way is there to do this than initiate the first-ever twinning for our historic Roman town?"

Yuliya Stadnytska Wooden house on the side of a snow-covered mountain. A group of people is standing behind a Metta signYuliya Stadnytska
People in Towcester are hoping to raise another 2,000 euros (£1,716) for a wilderness therapy project in Lviv

The local Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom welcomed the link: "Twinning our town with Zhydachiv in western Ukraine is a fantastic idea, and a recognition of our community's defiance in the face of tyranny."

As well as organising aid trips, the people of Towcester have also been supporting a therapy project for Ukrainian families affected by loss and veterans affected by the trauma of war.

A donation of 1,000 euros (£858) was handed over to the Metta Wilderness Therapy project in Lviv during the last aid visit.

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