A Ukrainian refugee is looking for her long, lost family in Bolton after arriving in England.
Maryana Pekh, 35, is currently living in Harpenden, Hertfordshire with her husband and five children, having arrived in England just three weeks ago.
But unlike most Ukrainian refugees, Maryana has family ties to Bolton.
She spoke to The Bolton News about her family and how they ended up here.
Maryana said: “When my grandfather, Michael, was 13, he was moved with his brothers during World War Two. One brother was sent by the Germans to Australia and another to Britain.”
Michael’s brother, Petro Ilnycky, and his wife, Anna Ilnycky, settled in Bolton and had three children, Joseph, Petro and Michael.
They at one point lived at 85 Auburn Street in Bolton.
Petro died in 2004 aged 78 and Anna died in 2011 aged 91, but Maryana wants to track down her cousins.
She said: “Now that I am here in England, I would like to find my cousins.”
Of the three children that Petro and Anna had, “one moved to Canada and the other two probably moved to the UK” according to Maryana.
It is their children, Maryana’s cousins, that she is eager to find. Although she has never met them, she knows their last name is Ilnytsky.
Maryana also praises her sponsors since coming to England, saying: “We have very brilliant sponsors, they have provided us with everything we need.”
READ: Bolton Lads & Girls Club's Yellow and Blue Day raises funds for Ukraine
This comes after the people of Bolton have rallied behind Ukraine, whether it’s donating money to charity, holding events in honour of Ukraine or providing aid to the country.
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