The Bradford branch of the AUW was founded in 1950 and named for Nataliya Kobrynska (writer, socialist feminist and activist, 8 June 1851-22 January 1920). One of a number of community organisations in Bradford, the branch has always concerned itself with providing a safe and inclusive space for women of Ukrainian descent living in Bradford. It has worked closely with the Ukrainian Supplementary School and the Ukrainian Youth Association in Bradford, and also supported the work of the other...

The Bradford branch of the AUW was founded in 1950 and named for Nataliya Kobrynska (writer, socialist feminist and activist, 8 June 1851-22 January 1920). One of a number of community organisations in Bradford, the branch has always concerned itself with providing a safe and inclusive space for women of Ukrainian descent living in Bradford. It has worked closely with the Ukrainian Supplementary School and the Ukrainian Youth Association in Bradford, and also supported the work of the other community organisations.

Over the years, the branch has celebrated and commemorated various events such as Ukrainian Heroines, Mother’s Day, Princess Olha, 70 years of the Ukrainian Women’s movement, embroidery evenings for young people (ensuring young people who have never been to Ukraine can enjoy folk arts). It ran an embroidery course for a number of years during the 1950s/1960s in partnership with the Ukrainian Youth Association. The first person to run the course was Maria Kashevka, then Mrs K Yakoviv and Mrs Ye Nakonechna.

In the 1960s, the branch held an exhibition at the Bradford Mechanic’s Institute about folk art, displaying items such as embroidered table cloths, cushions, ritual cloths (ryshnyky), napkins, wood work and ceramics, which was very popular with English and other nationalities, as well as the Ukrainian community. Music has also been a key element of culture for the branch, which had its own choir for a number of years.

The branch had its own room in the Ukrainian club, where it had display cases for folk art and a library. They also held tea evenings and pysanka making courses for young people. There was, and continues to be, also a welfare function, where members visit sick and older members of the community. The branch also supported other Ukrainians living in the diaspora, such as Germany, with financial aid, and since independence in 1991 has actively raised money to support charitable causes in Ukraine. Before independence, the branch worked hard to advocate for human rights in Ukraine, and continued this work after independence, during the Orange Revolution and during the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2014 and the full-scale conflict from 2022. AUW Bradford remains one of the largest and most active branches in the UK.