Ukrainian refugee to run free walking tours of Liverpool during Eurovision

A reporter who fled war-torn Ukraine to seek refuge in the UK is preparing to run free tours of Liverpool in Ukrainian during Eurovision.

Maria Romanenko will offer her tours to Ukrainian people visiting the city for the singing contest in May.

The tours will cover some of Liverpool’s biggest landmarks including The Three Graces.

The 30-year-old will also teach tourists about the Beatles’ origins and the city’s Second World War history.

Maria left Kyiv and travelled to the UK during the beginning of Russia's invasion last year and made the brave journey to the Polish border with her partner Jez, who is originally from Manchester.

The couple waited at the border for 4 days before getting confirmation that Maria could migrate to the UK. They moved on 2 March 2022.

Maria did her A-levels in Oxfordshire and her degree in Leeds before returning to Ukraine, where she worked as a journalist for six years.

Because she is fluent in English, Maria decided to use it to her advantage and teach other Ukrainians the language to help them settle into Britain.

She began offering free walking tours of Manchester in May last year, with each one being attended by more than a hundred people.

Maria said: “I have my partner here as well as my best friend from university, so I have most things that a person would need to feel at home.

“But there are lots of Ukrainians who came here with none of these things and on top of that, they don’t speak very much English.

“So one of the first things I came up with to help was to do walking tours – I also interpret for Ukrainians to help them access housing and healthcare, as well as telling the story of how I made it to the UK to raise awareness of what is happening.”

She added: “Thanks to the Government’s reduced price ticket scheme, there are 3,000 Ukrainians guaranteed to be coming to Liverpool who are refugees, so I thought they will be looking for something to do.

“Ukrainians will also be coming from overseas and will be wanting to learn more about the city as well as attend the shows.

"They’re open to people who live in Liverpool already but mostly we are hoping to attract people who are visiting the city.”

Ms Romanenko will be covering some of the Eurovision song contest as a reporter, which she also did in 2017 when the final was hosted in Kyiv, while she has applied for a ticket to the final show.

“I’m a Eurovision fan but so is everyone in Ukraine,” she said.

“It’s a massive deal, it’s like the Super Bowl but for music.

"Soldiers will be watching it like they did last year, people will find a way to tune in even if there is a power cut.

“Eurovision will allow the country to unite and cheer for Ukraine.

"It’s important to keep cultural events going because it brings some normality to people’s lives. It allows people to de-stress just a little bit.”

Maria's tours will run on 7, 10 and 12 May.