A Letter from Ukraine

In addition to a (rather splendid) trophy, the winning production teams in the four categories of our Sandford St Martin Awards competition also receive a modest grant which our trustees hope will be used to support their work and future projects exploring religion or belief. In return we ask them to keep in touch and to let us know how the grant has been used. Over the years we’ve heard the money has been used to help buy a new camera, recording equipment or studio time. It’s been used to hire a researcher, towards a community scholarship for young journalists and to attend industry festivals. In one case I was told it was the cushion a producer needed to allow him to leave his ‘corporate’ job and set up as an indy content-maker.

In 2024, the Radio/Audio Award winner was ‘The Indestructibility of Hope -Wartime Christmas in Ukraine‘ , presented by the Ukrainian writer and podcaster Nadiyka Gerbish and produced by Philip Billson for BBC Radio 4’s Worship strand. It’s a unique programme, made under difficult circumstances and yet still filled with hope and light.

Very much in keeping with the spirit of the programme, Philip and Radio 4 generously agreed that rather than splitting the grant, it should go in its entirety to Nadiyka who would be able to find a use that best honoured the trustees’ wishes in Ukraine.

This week she wrote to tell me how it was used. Her email was a compelling reminder to me of both the wider community to which we journalists and broadcasters belong, the reciprocity and fellowship between us but also the heart which holds it all together. All in all: a pretty good day at the office.

Anna McNamee, Executive Director

Dear Anna,

I am very sorry it took me so long to respond!

At last, the funds have been put to use, and below, you’ll find the summary, but before I dive into any specifics, let me share some stories with you 😊

In the spring of 2022, I heard Philip Yancey recount a wartime story about Dorothy Sayers and T. S. Eliot contributing to some little-known political/social/economic journal no one seems to care about these days. His point was that people tend to recognize us for what we are best at, and not what we believe in/are passionate about. Intrigued, I tried to research the subject but found no trace of that journal. Perhaps, it was really so minor and thus, easily forgotten, and yet, I very much hope that the story Mr. Yancey told is true. Because I deeply believe that even if no one else cares, what we do in times of crisis, with a war being an especially obvious one, matters. It does shape us and profoundly influences anything we are good at. In fact, it might be the very thing that makes us good at something.

Philip Billson, the amazing producer of the awarded programme, advised me to spend the funds on the communication project – and so we did (more on that later).

But remembering your permission to allocate part of the funds to support Ukrainian volunteers, I took the liberty of using a larger portion of the prize to purchase fifty life-saving medical tourniquets for the soldiers. The volunteer coordinating this effort is a distinguished and exceptionally talented Ukrainian journalist specializing in religion and ethics, Olena Kulygina (Mosendz). Now, her writing job comes down to penning volunteer requests and reports, and yet, it’s nonetheless (or all the more) valuable from both religious and ethical standpoints. Her personal story is the reason I mentioned Dorothy Sayers and that mysterious journal.

Please find the enclosed photos.

Another portion of the prize went toward supporting a podcast project we launched together with Jonathan Markey and Volodymyr Olshanskyi. Volodymyr, who was the sound engineer for the awarded programme, also runs a Ukrainian audiobook platform named Audiostories, dedicated to preserving and promoting Ukrainian culture by recording the voices and sounds of both historical and wartime Ukraine. Jonathan, a Ukrainian of American, and even partially Native American, descent, is a theologian, pastor, composer, and frontman of the band Room for More (a name that, in these times, feels like a powerful ethical and political statement). He is also a father of six, raising his family in Ukraine together with his wife. One of his songs was featured in the awarded programme. 

Here’s a short description: ‘The podcast Mistse Ye offers a thoughtful space for in-depth questions and honest reflections on the struggles that challenge and perplex us. It embraces the idea that faith flourishes through doubt and that hope strengthens when we confront our fears with honesty. Hosted by author Nadiyka Gerbish and theologian Jonathan Markey, this podcast delves into the unspoken concerns we all carry, creating a conversation that encourages openness, courage, and genuine connection;’ and here’s the link to it on Apple Podcasts (it is also available on all the podcasting platforms + Youtube): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/місце-є/id1787171944.

Here’s our latest episode on Depression: https://li.sten.to/ep_3_mistse_ye (it’s all in Ukrainian, of course).

Initially, we planned to record a season of seven episodes, but after receiving so many letters and thoughtful questions from our listeners, we feel inspired to keep going with the work, which, to be honest, is also pure joy. 

Once again, thank you so much for your kindness and support!

Warmly,

Nadiyka

p.s.  By the way, Volodymyr just told me that he used his share of the support money to purchase an AI-powered app that will translate and dub our episodes into multiple languages! As soon as I have news that it’s working, I’ll let you know!