Paradiplomacy

Watch the video highlights from Kent With Ukraine's last working visit to the Chernihiv Region.

During a recent visit to Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, Jordan, representing Kent With Ukraine , spent time in the community of Kulykivka , where he received an exceptionally warm welcome from local leaders and residents alike. Despite the ongoing challenges of living under constant threat, the visit offered a powerful insight into the resilience, pride, and determination that continue to define this community. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the

Kent With Ukraine recently held a meeting with Chernihiv City Council to discuss plans for supporting the people of Chernihiv over the coming year. This meeting marked an important step toward establishing a municipal partnership between Chernihiv City and partners in Kent. Building a Partnership for Support Hosted by Nataliia Kholchenkova, Head of International Relations at Chernihiv City Council, discussions focused on how Kent With Ukraine can offer meaningful support to C

When children from different parts of the world connect, it creates a powerful bond that transcends borders and cultures. Recently, students at Higham Primary School experienced this firsthand by reaching out to their peers in their twin school of Starobilou Lyceum in the village of Novyi Bilous, near Chernihiv, Ukraine. The staff and students Higham Primary School decided to send cards and letters to children in Novyi Bilous. These messages were filled with drawings, kind w

Kent With Ukraine Founder, Jordan Meade, began his first working visit of 2026 in Kyiv. It was intended to be a practical working visit to the capital: meeting partners, strengthening coordination activity, and advancing both the commitments of KWU and UK Friends of Ukraine for the year ahead. But within hours of arrival, at the Ukrainian Border the purpose of the visit was confronted by a brutal reality that has become routine for millions of Ukrainians. The delegation attem

Representing Kent With Ukraine, Cllr Jordan Meade and Cllr Helen Ashenden had the profound joy of attending the Community Christmas Carol Concert at St John’s Church, Higham, last night. Jordan extends his sincere thanks to The Reverend Canon Clive Jones for his remarkable support, and for providing the opportunity to host the inaugural exhibition of the Ukrainian Icons on Ammunition Cases in Kent . This was the first time these sacred works have been displayed in the county,

We are proud to announce that Higham Primary School in Kent has secured a twinning partnership with the Starobilou Lyceum in the Chernihiv Region, Ukraine. This is an important step, following Higham Parish Council's , decision to twin Higham with the Ukrainian villages of Novyi Bilous earlier this year. When we set out to develop cooperation between Kent and the Chernihiv Region, we wanted young people to be at the centre of our work. During the twinning ceremony students f

Historic Partnership with Chernihiv Regional Administration

Jordan and Imogen visit new modular homes enabled through the extraordinary work of the Pelican Live Foundation and Citi Bank of Ukraine

SCHOOL TWINNING: At the beginning of our friendship with the Chernihiv Region we spoke about the importance of making sure that young people were at the centre of everything we do. I'm therefore thrilled that Cobham Hall School have become the first school in Kent to formally twin with a school in the Chernihiv Region since the signing of the Chernihiv-Kent Agreement last year. Many congratulations to the staff and students at Cobham Hall and the Koriukivka Lyceum. I was so

Higham in Kent twins with the Novyi Bilous Community in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.

Today, Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a grim milestone that reminds us not only of the passage of time, but of the extraordinary endurance, courage and sacrifice shown by the Ukrainian people every single day since 24 February 2022. As Ukraine enters a fourth year of conflict, it is important that we pause to remember the human suffering behind the headlines, and to recognise that humanitarian needs remain acute. The enormity of the impac

Kent With Ukraine began 2025 the way it intends to continue: with action, determination, and unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine. In our first aid mission of the year, our team drove over 3,500 miles across six countries, delivering nearly 12,000 vital items, around 1.5 tonnes of life-saving equipment, medical supplies, warm clothing, and essentials, including toys and support items for orphanages, taking it directly to our friends and partners in Chernihiv Oblas

In November 2024, a significant moment in the story of Kent’s support for Ukraine was reached as the Leader of Kent County Council, Roger Gough, and County Councillor Jordan Meade travelled to the Chernihiv Region, a region that has endured some of the most intense devastation of Russia’s full-scale invasion, to formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between our two regions. This was not simply a diplomatic visit. It was the formalisation of something much deeper:

Reflections by Councillor Jordan Meade... Over the past six months, I’ve been working to secure a cooperation partnership between Kent County Council and the Chernihiv Oblast Чернігівська ОДА, in Ukraine. This mutually beneficial agreement will act as an enabler for the businesses, community groups and residents of Kent to strategically support one of the Ukrainian regions that was most affected by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On Thursday, I was overwhelmed t

On the second anniversary of the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Councillor Jordan Meade revisited Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. During the full-scale invasion, Russia occupied towns and villages across Chernihiv Oblast and laid siege to Chernihiv City. Despite enduring horrific bombardments, relentless artillery shelling, and in far too many cases the butchery and war crimes committed by the Russian military, the determination and strength of the heroic people of Chernihiv stan