Carlisle’s own Hardwicke Circus have returned home after completing a remarkable and emotionally charged tour across Ukraine, writes Chris Jones.
It was a journey that blended music, solidarity, and frontline support during one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s modern history.
Led by brothers Jonny and Tom Foster, the band travelled thousands of miles across Europe to perform for civilians, schools, soldiers, and medical staff in cities under constant threat from drone attacks.
The handover became one of the defining moments of the trip.
Some of the most powerful moments came during visits to medical facilities where they met wounded soldiers undergoing life-changing treatment.
Although footage from these visits remains embargoed for the moment, the band say the encounters will stay with them forever.
The tour was not without challenges. Travelling in an ageing van loaded with gear — and tested to its limits, the van had to be left for repairs after an accident soon after the tour began – continuing with an ambulance/minibus lent by a UK charity in Ukraine.
The group navigated long drives, power outages, nightly curfews, air-raid alerts, as many of the band suffered from the flu, and manager, Dave Robinson, was hospitalised with pneumonia.
In spite of the hardships, the response from Ukrainian audiences was overwhelming.
Crowds sang, danced, and embraced the band’s music as a brief escape from the realities of conflict. Local media and international broadcasters followed the tour closely, with Hardwicke Circus quickly becoming a symbol of artistic resilience and cross-border solidarity.
Much of the tour’s media was captured by Veronika Zolotoverkha, a former Ukrainian theatre director now living in Carlisle.
Her perspective gave the tour an added emotional weight, and her photography and video updates helped supporters at home follow the group’s progress in real time.
For the Carlisle group, the tour was far more than a run of concerts — it was a testament to unity, courage, and the enduring power of music in the darkest of times.
Hardwicke Circus said they were grateful for the support from accountancy firm Armstrong Watson.
