Hi, I am Clare Twelvetrees and I might be the last person who participated in this trip to post to the blog! (although Ling I can't see you anywhere?)
I am the International Relations Manager in the Environment Agency England and Wales and manage our programme of capacity building projects with sister organisations overseas. I was lucky enough to get involved in this visit at a fairly late stage and happened to be in East Ukraine with Groundwork UK the week before it took place.
During my two and a half weeks in Ukraine I experienced the East, South and the capital which was a fascinating contrast. To start with, air quality in Mariupol in the East left a lot to be desired but I was impressed by the regeneration in the centre of Donetsk and, being Welsh, the seemingly respected legacy of John Hughes.
Kyiv was a delight and our programme with the 21st Century Trust an excellent learning experience. As the days passed, the complexities of Ukraine seemed to grow and it was like putting the bits of information we acquired into an ever increasing jigsaw.
We were also lucky enough to visit the Crimea which gave us a glimpse of the mechanisms of regional automomy, the relationship with Russia and the position of the Tatars. All whilst enjoying the mountainous surroundings, the coastline and dipping in the warm Black Sea. Our last couple of days were spent back in Kyiv meeting more experts and consolidating what we learnt. Since returning I have been working hard on developing an enviornmental project in Ukraine with some of the contacts I have made there. So watch this space.