A talented Ukrainian businesswoman has been able to relaunch her bespoke soft toy business after moving to the UK in May 2022 along with her teenage daughter.
As well as having to leave behind her family and friends when Russia invaded, she also had to leave behind her business, where she was a successful bespoke soft toy seller, designing and hand-crafting soft toys for a range of customers in Ukraine.
Alyona is now working out of Corbridge after rebranding the business and the freshly renamed 'My Oh My' relaunched in February. It has already received its first order. Alyona has spoken about moving away from Ukraine and how she has been able to settle into the North East.
"It was a very heart-breaking decision to leave my home, family and business. We spent the most horrible month of our lives in Ukraine after the Russian invasion. I understood that I need to protect my daughter's life first of all. That's why we moved to the West of Ukraine, then to Poland and eventually to the United Kingdom.
"I think it is impossible to not settle into the North East, as when I came to Northumberland I quickly realised that the main advantage of this area is the people and their willingness to help.
"I remember my daughter said to me, just two weeks after arriving here, 'even without good spoken English I don't feel like I'm a stranger or foreigner in this country, I feel like I'm home.
"I really appreciate the support of everyone who I've met here, especially my hosts, the Drummond family, who have given us a new home and helped me to restart my business in the UK. Without their support it would have been much more difficult to restart my business from scratch in a new country", she said.
Alyona has been able to expand her business to offer new products on top of what she was able to provide in Ukraine. On top of bespoke custom toys, toy repairs and special mementos, Alyona has now created PenPal Toys, which involves receiving a white bear with textile markers, so that a custom design can be done by hand.
It is this ingenuity that has made Alyona's business a success in Ukraine, and building it back up in the UK shows strength and fortitude. This goes to show that the people of the North East are the most welcoming, and any support that can be given to people is clearly massively appreciated.
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