Bradford and Huddersfield buildings with Ukrainian ties celebrated

The St Mary Protectress Orthodox Church in Bradford is one of those being recognised for its Ukrainian links

Several buildings in West Yorkshire are being celebrated for their close connections with war-torn Ukraine.

Historic England has highlighted their contribution to local communities ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest being staged by the UK on behalf of Ukraine.

The buildings include churches and a community memorial in Bradford and a community centre in Huddersfield.

Historic England's chief executive said the focus was on places which told the story of Ukrainian life.

Liverpool is currently hosting the finals of the first Eurovision Song Contest to be held in the UK for 25 years after organisers decided it was too dangerous for Ukraine, 2022's winners, to stage the competition on home turf due to Russia's invasion.

John Kybaluk, from Edgerton Hill Community Centre, said it was somewhere "Ukrainian customs were upheld"

Announcing that several building across the north of England were to be celebrated for their Ukrainian links, Historic England said people from there had established a strong connection to many towns and cities in the North for over a century.

Historic England said that on its advice the Ukrainian community memorial in Bradford's North Bierley Municipal Cemetery had now been granted Grade II-listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Meanwhile, buildings which had already been awarded listed status had had their entries on the National Heritage List for England updated, according to Historic England.

These included Huddersfield's Edgerton Hill Ukrainian Community Centre, Bradford's St Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Stony Lane, and the Ukrainian Catholic Church of The Most Holy Trinity & Our Lady of Pochaiv in Manningham, the organisation said.

This traditional Ukrainian dance is thought to have taken place at the Edgerton Hill Ukrainian Centre in the 1960s or 1970s

Duncan Wilson, Historic England's chief executive, said: "These places were established as safe spaces, over decades, by people who wanted to keep Ukraine in their hearts and their heritage alive."

The buildings showed "the resilience and resourcefulness of Ukrainian communities and their dedication to protecting their language, beliefs, and way of life", he added.

"It feels right to celebrate Ukrainian heritage in the north of England as the nation gets ready to host Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine."

The first Eurovision semi-final took place on Tuesday, with a second semi-final due to take place on Thursday ahead of the grand final in Liverpool at the weekend.