Many of you are aware that I have campaigned for over 10 years to officially get Derby City Council to recognise the Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian nation, which was finally achieved last year on 21st November. As the “icing on the cake” for our community, Derby City Council also agreed to allow a memorial plaque to be installed, as a permanent reminder to the citizens of Derby of this tragic and horrific event. It’s taken a while to get this project completed, but as time passed, it made sense to tie the unveiling ceremony in with the formal Holodomor anniversary commemoration date. As an added bonus, we have also managed to secure a special pre-screening of the Mr Jones film (flyer attached) in advance of the national release date in February 2020.

Our commemoration event on Saturday 23rd November will begin with the unveiling of a memorial plaque dedicated to the victims of the Holodomor. This will take place in the Sir Peter Hilton Memorial Gardens (opposite the Derby City Council House and adjacent to the Derby Quad Arts Cinema) and will start promptly at 1.30 pm followed by the screening of the “Mr Jones” film at the Derby Quad Arts Cinema at 3:15 pm.

We have invited a number of local dignitaries, including The Mayor, Derby City Councillors, local MPs and colleagues from our AUGB Head Office, Ukrainian Embassy, and other partner organisations. We have also shared our event with the local press and media and also BBC Ukraine, so with that in mind it would be fantastic to get a sizeable presence from our Midlands Viddily to show your support and make this a successful event.  

Kind regards,

Joe Kupranec

Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain – Derby Branch

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