'You forget the comfort books can provide'

Some say books are a portal to another world...

But at the Reading Ukrainian Community Centre they are not only an escape from life in another country but also a window to home - three years after the Russian invasion.

Its library, stocked full of books in Ukrainian, opened in June and is sponsored by a Swiss charity, Reading Studios, which has opened similar facilities across Europe and two in the UK - the other is in Cardiff.

Iryna Bakaliar is the volunteer manager of the Reading library.

"Nobody plans to be displaced. You don't expect these things in your life," she said.

"When it happens, you're so shocked and trying to flee to safety. You grab a bag and you don't really have space for books. You forget how much comfort books actually provide - until you don't have them.

"We had a reader from Kharkiv... When she took one of the books and opened it, she saw that it was printed in Kharkiv in 2024. She said it smelled like home.

"It was very emotional.. We paused and we didn't quite know what to say. Tears came down and we gave each other a hug."

Mariia Kondratiuk lives in Reading but has used books to transport her back to her favourite city of Lviv in western Ukraine.

"I think this library is an amazing place. It means a lot to me. When I was growing up one of my favourite places in my home town was our local library," she said.

Yuri Vynnychuk, a famous Ukrainian writer, has written about Lviv and Mariia has used his novel, Tango of Death, to remind her of home.

"Reading that when I was in Edinburgh – especially when I felt homesick – it really made me feel like I was at home. It helped me travel without travelling," she added.

Oksana and her daughter Diana, who is three, use the books to remind them of home.

"When I'm reading [Diana] likes to listen to my voice and she asks questions about the fairytales and the stories. I think it's very important for her because of the unity between us," Oksana said.

"It makes me feel like I am at home and we had no war. We have a lot of friends nearby; we can visit and we can live as we used to do."

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