Circus boss praises Ukrainian performers as troupe returns to Morecambe

Thursday, 10 March 2022 16:27

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

Victor Sverschok and Michael Piplanko from Ukraine, with Julia Kirilova outside the Big Top in Morecambe.

A circus boss has spoken of her pride in her Ukrainian performers as they entertain audiences in Morecambe.

Julia Kirilova, manager of the Big Kid Circus, spoke to Beyond Radio as the circus returned to town for five days of performances.

She said the Ukrainians in the troupe were "devastated" at the events back home.

"Their country is falling apart and there's nothing they can do about it," she said.

"They are just trying to focus on their passion and their art, and keep going.

"They arrived (in the UK) a couple of weeks before (the war) happened.

"For me, I'm happy they are here. I wouldn't want it any other way. Stay here, you're talented, you have a place here. But many people weren't so lucky."

Watch the Big Kid Circus team rehearsing ahead of tonight's performances in Morecambe:

Julia and her team are back in Morecambe to put on some free shows as a 'thank you' to the town for their support in 2020.

Two years ago, the Big Kid Circus was stranded in Morecambe for six months, as they arrived to perform just as the Covid pandemic lockdown began, meaning they were not allowed to move on.

"We invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the 2020 show, then Covid came along," said Julia.

"We continued with our tour and then in the second week, we came to Morecambe and lockdown hit.

"We called Lancaster City Council and said 'we're not allowed to move, we can't send any of the performers back home to Cuba, all the borders are closed'. The council was very nice to us and said 'stay here as long as you need'.

"But there was no income. Our performers had no money.

"When we told people we were struggling for basic needs, straightaway, it was amazing how we had a queue of people coming to give us money, food. Clothes, toys, books, everything. It gave me hope that humanity exists.

"At the end of the day, the people of Morecambe showed up. We had to show our gratitude, the only way we can, we said we will entertain you.

"Doing these free shows is like saying 'we love you Morecambe' and we appreciate everything they did for us. Morecambe will always have free shows."

For more on the circus in Morecambe, including performance times and ticket details, see here.

More of the Big Kid Circus team rehearsing ahead of tonight's performances in Morecambe: