Photo credits: Terry Whitty

We’ve seen an increasing number of collaborative events in England over the past few years, and I wanted to spotlight a great example from last year’s festival - The Taste of Ukraine event held on 14 September 2024. To me, it really illustrates how collaboration between different European Heritage Day countries can help create engaging events, amplify the European dimension of the festival and show the value of partnership working.

At Liskeard Public Hall, a packed audience gathered to connect live with friends in their twinned town Kopychyntsi, Ukraine. Through this digital link-up, schoolchildren from Kopychyntsi performed a traditional Cornish dance, and sang Cornish song “Candilly”. In response, the Liskeard Silver Band played Ukraine’s national anthem, and the crowd, led by Councillor Simon Cassidy and Melodi Liskerrett choir, sang along and raised voices in Ukrainian cries of “Slava Ukraine! Heroyam slava!”. Despite their 1,500 mile separation, the event helped to create a strong sense of connection and community.

This collaboration wasn’t just about virtual performances, after the live link, guests enjoyed Cornish and Ukrainian melodies from band and choir, and feasted on authentic Ukrainian dishes crafted by the Hannafore Kiosk, the Hub vegetarian café and Lorna Grimshaw. A lively troyl*, led by Carmen Hunt of Scoots Kernow and backed by Dalla artists, helped to keep the party going. And there was even a bar with Ukranian specialties available!

*Troyl is a Cornish word (similar to the Scottish ceilidh or Breton fest-noz) that describes an informal dance gathering where everyone is welcome to join in. The word means to spin around in Cornish.

Visual art workshops at Liskerd Community Centre produced tablescapes that reflected both Cornish pastels and Ukrainian folk motifs, turning each dining table into a celebration of shared heritage. The audience also heard from Darren Tait of Cornwall and Devon sending Love to Ukraine about their van convoys taking aid to Ukraine and how to support them.

Reflecting the 2024 European Heritage Open Days theme of Routes, Networks and Connections, the Taste of Ukraine event highlights how locally-led international partnerships can help illuminate everyday heritage and create a sense of unity, without needing to be in the same room.

Rachel Brooks, who chairs the Liskeard Unlocked group on behalf of the Town Council said, “After months of preparation it was absolutely magical to be able to connect live with our friends in Kopychyntsi to honour their culture and show our support and solidarity by singing their national anthem. It was a real community effort and I’d like to thank everyone who made the event such a success: the performers, the food providers, the team at Liskerrett, the town council staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, the Community Treasure Chest who provided crockery, the Eliot Hotel who provided cutlery and, not least, the enthusiastic audience who joined in wholeheartedly. 

“For the Kopychyntsi community, participation in the event as part of the 'Liskeard Unlocked' Festival 2024 was an extremely important occasion. It was particularly touching that our partner city, Liskeard, performed the Ukrainian national anthem as a sign of solidarity.  For us, the residents of the Kopychyntsi community, its personal meaning and significance are profound, especially during these challenging times.”    Alina, Kopychyntsi Town Councillor