Ukrainians Enjoy Isle Of Wight Circus Visit

Around 100 Ukrainian refugees and their host families visited Jay Miller’s Circus at the circus field near Wootton, courtesy of an Isle of Wight charity.

The visit was organised by East Cowes-based MAD-Aid and paid for using part of charity’s National Lottery Community Fund grant.

The lottery funding was awarded to MAD-Aid for its #United4Ukraine project and its work in connecting communities – especially Ukrainians who have settled on the Isle of Wight following the outbreak of the Ukraine war last year.

This year Jay Miller’s Circus has a number of Ukrainian performers, including Duo Vakal, Duo Novosselov and the BMX artists of the Jan Extreme Trio – and the visitors loved watching the show.

The circus team kindly agreed to host a barbecue afterwards, which meant the Ukrainian visitors and performers could relax and chat in their native language.

Two of the Ukrainian circus performers – Valeriy and Helana of Duo Vakal – even attended the barbecue wearing traditional Ukrainian shirts.

One of the MAD-Aid representatives who attended said:

“The show was amazing, and it was magical to hear the Ukrainian visitors and performers chatting at the barbecue in their native tongue.

“Many host family members enjoyed the circus visit as well, and it was a perfect example of how a social event can bring different communities closer together.

"MAD-Aid would like to thank the team at Jay Miller’s Circus, as well as members of Community Action Isle of Wight, who helped with the administration."

A small number of displaced families of other nationalities also enjoyed the circus performance.

Following the event, Jay Miller’s Circus also gave a donation to MAD-Aid in recognition of the work the charity does both in the UK and internationally.