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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260604T183000
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DTSTAMP:20260404T113030
CREATED:20260129T153345Z
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UID:10000055-1780597800-1780603200@settlestories.org.uk
SUMMARY:How Not To Flee A War (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:‘How NOT to Flee a War’ is a first-hand talk by Ukrainian journalist Maria Romanenko\, co-presented with her partner Jez Myers\, telling the story of their attempt to escape Kyiv as Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. \nWhat begins as a surreal morning of explosions and disbelief quickly becomes a frantic and uncertain decision: whether to stay\, where to go\, and how to leave a city rapidly emptying under threat. Built around their real journey out of Ukraine\, the talk uses personal storytelling and images from the road to show what the first days of invasion felt like from the inside. \nRather than a polished narrative of survival\, Maria and Jez describe the experience with blunt honesty and dark humour – the endless traffic\, exhaustion\, panic\, misinformation\, and the reality of borders under pressure. Through Maria’s perspective as a Ukrainian\, and Jez’s as a British partner caught inside the unfolding disaster\, the talk becomes both a gripping personal account and a wider reflection on displacement\, resilience\, and what it means to lose your home overnight. \nSince launching in 2022\, the tour has grown into a nationally recognised speaking series and a leading awareness-raising campaign across the UK and Europe. At its heart is the powerful talk\, ‘How NOT To Flee a War’\, which tells the gripping story of their escape from Kyiv to Manchester. \nTheir story has resonated around the world\, with coverage from BBC\, ITV\, Sky News\, CNN\, and many more. \nWith upcoming talks scheduled at the Welsh\, Scottish\, and Danish Parliaments\, alongside a headline slot at Lewes Speakers Festival\, this is one not to miss. \nBiographies\nMaria Romanenko is a Ukrainian journalist and co-founder of All For Ukraine. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Hromadske International\, one of Ukraine’s best-known news organisations\, she is the only Ukrainian recipient of the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award. Since relocating to the UK\, Maria has focused on supporting displaced Ukrainians and raising awareness through talks\, including the widely delivered How NOT to Flee a War. She has conducted over 1\,000 mainstream media interviews since arriving in the UK and is a regular commentator across national and international channels. \nJez Myers is a community champion and CEO of All For Ukraine. A recipient of Manchester City Council’s prestigious Pride of Manchester Award\, he brings a dual background in business consultancy and civic engagement. After fleeing Ukraine with Maria\, Jez has advised local and national bodies on supporting displaced Ukrainians\, as well as assisting multiple Ukrainian charities. He is also Chairperson of the Spirit of Manchester Awards\, the largest voluntary sector awards in the North West of England.
URL:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/how-not-to-flee-a-war/
LOCATION:The Joinery\, Dawsons Court\, Market Place\, Settle\, North Yorkshire\, BD24 9ED\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Networking,Talk
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://settlestories.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Artist-Directory-Featured-Image-13-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260604T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260604T200000
DTSTAMP:20260404T113030
CREATED:20260212T124545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T110341Z
UID:10000067-1780597800-1780603200@settlestories.org.uk
SUMMARY:How Not To Flee A War (Online)
DESCRIPTION:‘How NOT to Flee a War’ is a first-hand talk by Ukrainian journalist Maria Romanenko\, co-presented with her partner Jez Myers\, telling the story of their attempt to escape Kyiv as Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. \nWhat begins as a surreal morning of explosions and disbelief quickly becomes a frantic and uncertain decision: whether to stay\, where to go\, and how to leave a city rapidly emptying under threat. Built around their real journey out of Ukraine\, the talk uses personal storytelling and images from the road to show what the first days of invasion felt like from the inside. \nRather than a polished narrative of survival\, Maria and Jez describe the experience with blunt honesty and dark humour – the endless traffic\, exhaustion\, panic\, misinformation\, and the reality of borders under pressure. Through Maria’s perspective as a Ukrainian\, and Jez’s as a British partner caught inside the unfolding disaster\, the talk becomes both a gripping personal account and a wider reflection on displacement\, resilience\, and what it means to lose your home overnight. \nSince launching in 2022\, the tour has grown into a nationally recognised speaking series and a leading awareness-raising campaign across the UK and Europe. At its heart is the powerful talk\, ‘How NOT To Flee a War’\, which tells the gripping story of their escape from Kyiv to Manchester. \nTheir story has resonated around the world\, with coverage from BBC\, ITV\, Sky News\, CNN\, and many more. \nWith upcoming talks scheduled at the Welsh\, Scottish\, and Danish Parliaments\, alongside a headline slot at Lewes Speakers Festival\, this is one not to miss. \nBiographies\nMaria Romanenko is a Ukrainian journalist and co-founder of All For Ukraine. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Hromadske International\, one of Ukraine’s best-known news organisations\, she is the only Ukrainian recipient of the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award. Since relocating to the UK\, Maria has focused on supporting displaced Ukrainians and raising awareness through talks\, including the widely delivered How NOT to Flee a War. She has conducted over 1\,000 mainstream media interviews since arriving in the UK and is a regular commentator across national and international channels. \nJez Myers is a community champion and CEO of All For Ukraine. A recipient of Manchester City Council’s prestigious Pride of Manchester Award\, he brings a dual background in business consultancy and civic engagement. After fleeing Ukraine with Maria\, Jez has advised local and national bodies on supporting displaced Ukrainians\, as well as assisting multiple Ukrainian charities. He is also Chairperson of the Spirit of Manchester Awards\, the largest voluntary sector awards in the North West of England.
URL:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/how-not-to-flee-a-war-online/
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Talk
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://settlestories.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Artist-Directory-Featured-Image-14.png
LOCATION:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/how-not-to-flee-a-war-online/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260617T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260617T203000
DTSTAMP:20260404T113030
CREATED:20260313T112354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T114452Z
UID:10000076-1781722800-1781728200@settlestories.org.uk
SUMMARY:Journeys of Hope - An Evening with Alison Marshall
DESCRIPTION:Love\, Migration\, and Stories That Echo Across Generations\n\nAlison Marshall in conversation with Sita Brand\nWednesday 17th June | 7pm | The Joinery\, Settle and Online | £20 (includes signed book) \nIn a drawer somewhere\, there are letters. Faded ink on fragile paper. Words written across oceans\, across decades\, across the chasm between one life and another. \nJoin us for an intimate evening as Sita speaks with Alison Marshall about Journeys of Hope: The Letters of Meyer and Sonia \, a powerful true story of migration\, family\, and survival. \nThe Story:\nMeyer Fortes and Sonia Donen grew up in a Jewish immigrant community in South Africa\, where they fell in love. In 1927\, Meyer set off alone to study in London. Sonia stayed behind. Their letters chart their hopes\, fears\, disappointments and successes as Meyer struggles to make a life and prepare for Sonia’s arrival. \nTheir story braids with others: Meyer’s father\, Nathan’s journey to Memphis and Leeds\, half-sister Annie’s incarceration on Ellis Island\, Sonia’s escape from the Russian Civil War. The letters offer unique insights into universal challenges\, drawing moving parallels between their 1920s experience and the migrations that came before and after\, including contemporary stories unfolding in Eastern Europe today. \nIn this conversation\, explore: \n\nThe moment of discovering letters that rewrite your family story\nLove tested by distance\, danger\, and uncertainty\nWhy migration patterns echo across generations\nWhat gets carried (and lost) when we cross borders\nHow researching the past reveals present-day witness\nReading both what letters say and what they cannot say\n\nYour ticket includes: \n\nIntimate conversation guided by Sita’s warmth and wisdom\nSigned copy of the book (“I couldn’t put it down”)\nTime for questions and reflection\n\nFor: \n\nAnyone exploring their own family’s migration story\nWriters and storytellers working with heritage narratives\nHistory lovers curious about early 20th century Jewish diaspora\nThose seeking to understand migration with greater nuance and humanity\n\nAbout Alison Marshall: \nLiving in Settle\, Alison discovered her grandparents’ letters and began a journey of research and travel through eastern Europe. This first book combines family memoir\, travelogue\, and cultural history. She’s involved with local refugee support\, bringing contemporary witness to timeless patterns of migration. \nAbout Sita: \nFounder of Settle Stories\, Sita creates spaces where stories build bridges between cultures and beliefs. She brings Buddhist wisdom traditions and deep curiosity to conversations that go deeper than you expect and stay with you longer than the evening lasts. \nLimited to 30 participants for an intimate conversation \nLetters are like threads; they connect what was to what is\, carrying voices across time and distance. Hear a story that echoes across generations and discover what it might reveal about your own.
URL:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/journeys-of-hope-an-evening-with-alison-marshall/
LOCATION:The Joinery\, Dawsons Court\, Market Place\, Settle\, North Yorkshire\, BD24 9ED\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Talk
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://settlestories.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Event-Page-Image-for-Website-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260620T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260620T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T113030
CREATED:20260313T113524Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T113524Z
UID:10000077-1781964000-1781974800@settlestories.org.uk
SUMMARY:How to Find and Tell Your Family's Story Workshop
DESCRIPTION:A hands-on workshop with heritage writer Alison Marshall \nThere’s a photograph in your grandmother’s drawer with no names on the back. A recipe that tastes like home but comes with silence instead of story. That question you’ve been meaning to ask before it’s too late. These aren’t just gaps in your family history. They’re thresholds. Invitations into rooms you didn’t know existed. \nPerhaps you’ve felt it\,  that tug toward the past. The sense that something important is slipping away while you wait for the right moment\, the right skills\, the right words. \nHere’s what the old storytellers knew: the stories that matter most are rarely the ones already written down. They’re living in the pause before someone answers. In the recipe\, your aunt makes without measuring. In the way your father goes quiet when certain places are mentioned.\nMaybe you can’t find out the details of your story however\, it’s a window into history. Don’t lose it. \nIn this workshop\, you’ll discover:\n– The Fragments Method: how to transform scraps (a single photograph\, a place name\, a half-memory\, an object tucked in a drawer) into rich narrative that holds generations\n– Voice and Narrative Craft \, techniques for writing family memoir as narrative non-fiction: true stories that read like you can’t put them down\n– The Story Arc: a proven structure that transforms overwhelming research into story that moves people (not just information\, but feeling).\n– Flexible approaches: being open minded about where your research takes you. \nThis workshop is for you if:\n– You’ve been meaning to capture these stories before they’re lost\, and you’re done waiting for “someday”\n– You have boxes of documents\, photographs\, or letters but no idea how to turn them into narrative people would actually want to read\n– You’re secretly worried your family’s story isn’t “dramatic enough” or “interesting enough” (it absolutely is \, you just need to know where to look and how to listen)\n– You know there’s more to the story than what gets said at family gatherings\, and you want to honour what was hard as well as what was hopeful\n– You want to create something meaningful that your children or grandchildren will treasure\,  not just dates and documents\, but story that helps them understand who they are \nWhat you’ll leave with:\n– Practical tools that work immediately\,  not theory\, but techniques you’ll use that same afternoon when you get home\n– Your first interview questions ready to ask\, shaped specifically for the relatives who hold the stories\n– A clear framework for turning research into narrative (so you stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling excited about the journey)\n– Permission to tell it honestly\, messily\, powerfully \, including the complicated parts\n– The opening lines of something that matters \, quite possibly the story you were always meant to write\n– A personal action plan outlining your research sources\, the main questions to answer\, and next steps \nAbout Alison Marshall:\nAlison knows migration stories aren’t clean or simple. She’s spent years helping people excavate the stories that shaped their families \, holding space for complicated truths\, honouring what was hard\, finding the courage in the crossing and the cost of it too. \nHer own journey began with discovering her grandparents’ letters from the 1920s. What started as curiosity became a book: Journeys of Hope: The Letters of Meyer and Sonia. It charts two people’s emigration journey across continents\, drawing moving parallels between their experience and that of parents\, grandparents\, and relatives who migrated across generations and countries. \nAlison’s approach combines deep research skills with storytelling craft. She won’t just help you gather facts. She’ll help you find the feeling underneath them \, and the narrative arc that makes your family’s story come alive. \nShe lives in Settle in the Yorkshire Dales and is involved with local refugee support activities\, bringing contemporary witness to the timeless patterns of migration\, loss\, and belonging. \nWhat you’ll need:\nNo writing experience required. Just bring: \n\nAny family memorabilia you have (photographs\, letters\, objects  or pictures of them\, even one item is enough to begin)\nCuriosity and willingness to see your family’s story with fresh eyes\n\nWorkshop Details:\nDate: 20th June 2026\nTime: 2 – 5pm\nLocation: The Joinery\, Settle\nInvestment: £45\, including a copy of Alison’s book. ‘Journeys of Hope: The Letters of Meyer and Sonia’ \nLimited to 12 participants so everyone receives personal attention and space to discover their story
URL:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/how-to-find-and-tell-your-familys-story-workshop/
LOCATION:The Joinery\, Dawsons Court\, Market Place\, Settle\, North Yorkshire\, BD24 9ED\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://settlestories.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Event-Page-Image-for-Website-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260622T133000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260622T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T113030
CREATED:20260311T111735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T110342Z
UID:10000075-1782135000-1782136800@settlestories.org.uk
SUMMARY:Building a New Britain: Windrush Day Event for KS1 and KS2
DESCRIPTION:Online storytelling | Warm\, courageous and age-flexible \nThe Windrush Generation left sunshine and home behind to help rebuild a Britain they’d never seen. They came with courage\, kindness and open hearts\, and changed this country forever. \nThis Windrush Day\, we’re bringing their story to life through the power of storytelling. Pupils will discover who the Windrush Generation were\, why they came\, and what they gave\, told in a way that’s vivid\, honest and full of heart. \nLed by a professional storyteller\, this session is suitable for KS1 and KS2\, making it ideal for mixed-age assemblies or whole-school listening.
URL:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/building-a-new-britain-windrush-day-event-for-ks1-and-ks2/
CATEGORIES:KS1,LKS2,UKS2
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://settlestories.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Event-Page-Image-for-Website.png
LOCATION:https://settlestories.org.uk/whats-on-event/building-a-new-britain-windrush-day-event-for-ks1-and-ks2/
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