Ukrainians on the Isle of Man to hold independence day prayers

About 70 Ukrainians have come to the island since the invasion in February

Ukrainians on the Isle of Man are to meet to pray for their home country in an "act of resilience" six months since the Russian invasion.

People have been invited to join them later at 19:30 BST to mark Ukraine's independence day at the Promenade Methodist Church Hall in Douglas.

Organiser Yuliay Sasina said it was important to gather despite the "grief and sadness" felt by many.

About 70 Ukrainians have been resettled on the island since the war began.

A further 20 have "been given leave to come and join their families" under the Manx government's resettlement scheme, a Cabinet Office spokeswoman said.

More than 300 people on the island have opened up their homes to take in those fleeing the conflict, she added.

Volunteers have been fundraising by promoting Ukrainian arts and culture on the island

Ms Sasina said the coming together of the island's Ukrainian community to pray was "pretty much all we feel we can do, feeling helpless but doing something, that is quite a big step for us all".

"Everybody is kind of in their own little shell, hiding from the pain, grief, whatever you call it, and coming together is an act of resilience", she added.

She is one of several volunteers who are in the process of registering the Manx Support for Ukraine group as a charity.

It has been helping those Ukrainians who are already on the island to settle, while continuing to organise fundraising events, arranging for donations to be sent to the country and assisting with language learning.

Ms Sasina's mother managed to leave the country to join her on the Isle of Man, but her father, brothers and other relatives remain in Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Zaporizhzhya.

She said the Manx public's help had been overwhelming, adding that ongoing support was important for the "long-term commitment to rebuild Ukraine and to rebuild our communities".