To the sound of distant gunfire, school children in Donetsk are now learning about their city’s Welsh past. Lily Revenko, a teacher in the war torn city, has decided to make the book  Dreaming A City the basis of a what she calls “investigative journalism” by her pupils, a means by which they can both improve their English and discover the origins of their city.

Donetsk was originally founded by Welshman John Hughes . Born and brought up in Merthyr, he began work as an apprentice in the Cyfarthfa ironworks, developed his own business in Newport and then London and finally, with the help of hundreds of Welsh workers, established the centre of the coal and steel industry in Ukraine – the city of Hughesovka .

Following the 1917 revolution, it became Stalino and Hughes was written out of its history but, since it changed its name again to Donetsk , the city has been prepared to acknowledge that it was founded by a Welsh capitalist and a statue has been erected to him there.

Lily Revenko became aware of Y Lolfa’s book on her city through an enquiry to the Glamorgan Record Office and its author Colin Thomas eventually managed to get a copy to her across the Ukraine/ Russia battle lines in eastern Ukraine.

Of the book, Lily said, ‘One of the strengths of the book is the combination of the past and the present - historical events and the process of making the book, a dialogue with the reader.’

The book comes with a DVD of the BBC’s three part series Hughesovka and the New Russia presented by the late Professor Gwyn Alf Williams.

‘The brave and artistic voice of Gwyn Williams does the same – you feel yourself part of the past and of the present.’ added Lily.

Over 9000 people have died in the Donetsk region since it became a centre of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in 2014. Despite what Lily Revenko calls ‘this horrible war’, she has just set her pupils a series of questions about Dreaming A City.

‘Our readers need this book – it will teach them not only about the past but also will teach them how to live in the present, how to work in a way that will make sparks fly.’ she said.

Dreaming a City by Colin Thomas (£9.95, Y Lolfa) is available now.

John Hughes statue