Ukrainian refugees in Australia have marked their first Christmas away from their homeland with events across the country, including a community camp in Sydney.

Held at a Ukrainian Youth Association facility on the Colo River, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, the event saw 220 people gather for the event including 96 recently displaced Ukrainian refugees, 47 of them clients of refugee settlement agency AMES Australia.

The participants took part in activities including art and crafts, exercise, swimming, sport, camp fire singalongs and a boat tour of Sydney Harbour.

Since February last year, hundreds of Ukrainian families have arrived in Australia fleeing the Russian invasion of their homeland.

AMES Ukrainian Support Office Nick Soloczynskyj, who helped to organise the camp, said the camp was an opportunity for the Ukrainians to connect and spend time with families of a similar background and culture in Australia and was important for their health and wellbeing.

“The camp was also a great opportunity for the families to further connections and create a sense of belonging, as well as providing some rest and mental health revitalisation opportunities from the horrors endured in their homeland,” Nick sad.

“Time in the great Australian outdoors, camping, swimming, sightseeing and making friends with other Australian children of Ukrainian origin is the least we can do to welcome them and help them integrate into life in Australia and our local Ukrainian Community,” he said.

AMES’ corporate partner 7Eleven made a significant contribution of $10,000 towards the costs of transporting the AMES clients to and from Sydney.

“Having only seen Sydney in photos, this was a rare opportunity for the clients to share this experience collectively and it was something to behold,” Nick said.

“Also, it was their first Christmas away from home and these fostered connections gave people a new sense of family – one that is in Australia but which recognises that in forefront of their minds are their loved ones still in Ukraine,” he said.

The Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) of Australia is an active Ukrainian youth group with eight branches across Australia. Its mission is cultivating, organising, and nurturing Australian-Ukrainian youth.

Another Christmas event was held by the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria at their centre in Essendon.

Similar celebrations have been held across the globe.

Across Poland most of the 1.5 million Ukrainians exiled there marked the orthodox Christmas on January 7.

But a UNHCR survey found life was tough for most of the Ukrainians in Poland with Many lacking money to afford basic things, and with 69 per cent of those surveyed citing cash as the most urgent need, and 40 per cent citing food.

Poland has been one of the main destinations for refugees from Ukraine since the start of the war and is bracing for the possibility of more arrivals this winter.

“The response by the Polish authorities at all levels, as well as civil society, has been remarkable,” said UNHCR representative Kevin Allen.

“UNHCR, together with other humanitarian organizations, is supporting this work, focusing on the most vulnerable refugees,” he said.

With most refugees in Poland not considering returning to Ukraine in the near future, the new year means more uncertainty. While many hope to find work and improve their living conditions, others will continue to need protection and humanitarian aid.

There have been similar Ukrainian Christmas celebrations in the UK.

Local community groups have been supporting displaced Ukrainians across the country.

At one event, in Sussex, in keeping with the Eastern Orthodox Church tradition, Christmas Day was celebrated on 7 January, as proscribed in the Julian calendar.

The celebration takes the form of a large meal involving 12 dishes.