Sophie Ellis-Bextor meets ‘truly inspiring’ Ukrainian refugee children

Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor has said she found a trip to Poland to hear the stories of Ukrainian refugee children “truly inspiring”.

The 45-year-old visited Warsaw ahead of the three-year anniversary of the Russia invasion of Ukraine in her role as an ambassador for Save The Children.

She hosted a music therapy workshop with Ukrainian Roma children aged between three and 12 before meeting a group of 15 to 18-year-olds at a library set up by teachers who had fled Ukraine.

Speaking about the event, the Murder On The Dancefloor singer said: “It has been an absolute privilege to meet with some of the young people Save The Children supports here in Warsaw.

“The stories I’ve heard have been truly inspiring. Despite their unimaginable hardship – having everything they know and love taken away from them – it’s incredible just how resilient the children are.

“When talking to me about their lives here in Poland, they all spoke with smiles on their faces. They described how they’ve enjoyed reconnecting with their Ukrainian community as well as making new Polish friends.

“I was overwhelmed at how excited they were for their futures and just how many of them wanted to make a positive difference to the world around them.

“It is so easy to take school for granted but hearing the children speak about how these sessions provide them with hope and a sense of familiarity has been truly humbling.

“Equally, the teams who run the programmes and centres here have built such a safe space for this marginalised community.

“It’s no wonder the children love attending. They provide them with a sense of normality which will ultimately help deliver long-lasting impact.”

The mother-of-five met 17-year-old Jana from Kyiv in Ukraine, who spoke about her experiences.

She told Ellis-Bextor: “I want to do something to help Ukraine – to change things. I’ve travelled a lot because of war, because I was trying to find a new home.

“The experience I have gained has been such a vital part of my life now – it has been defining. I want to use this experience to help rebuild Ukraine, to give it a bright future.”

As part of the workshops, the children danced, played percussion instruments to traditional Polish songs, and took part in an arts and crafts session with Ellis-Bextor.

The singer is best known for the songs Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) and Murder On The Dancefloor, with the latter seeing a resurgence in popularity after featuring in the 2023 film Saltburn.

Ellis-Bextor began her career in 1996 and has gone on to have six UK top 10 singles and five UK top 10 albums.

Save The Children says 7.5 million children have been affected by the war in Ukraine.

As of October last year, it said approximately 151,000 school-aged Ukrainian refugee children were enrolled in Polish schools but Save The Children says between 21,000 and 143,000 could still be missing despite a new Polish mandate making education compulsory for them all.

The charity says the war has disrupted the education of about four million children across Ukraine, with about 600,000 students learning remotely due to the ongoing risk of attacks.

Save The Children says that children seeking refuge from the Roma community often face discrimination and struggle to access services, making them among the most vulnerable group of refugees seeking sanctuary in Poland.

It comes after US president Donald Trump announced he would be meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin in an attempt to negotiate a peace deal to end the war.