Imagine waking up not to the tinny tones of your alarm, but to a phone call from a relative telling you a war has started.

Imagine hastily cramming whatever possessions you can fit into a backpack and leaving home behind, with a leaden, gut-deep dread that danger is chasing you.

It can seem utterly incomprehensible, but this is the awful reality of life for more than 110 million people globally who’ve been forced from their homes by conflict and persecution.

60s icon, Pattie Boyd (photographer, author, and muse to rock stars George Harrison and Eric Clapton), has teamed up with UK for UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) to show individual human stories in a thought-provoking portrait series called Beyond The Headlines – and it’ll change how you think about the reality of life as a refugee.

Here, Stylist gets a first look at the official photographs and speaks to Pattie Boyd and refugee storyteller, Alexandra, about empathy, connection and how you can support refugees this winter… 

Pattie Boyd 

Photographer and author Pattie Boyd has long stood for causes that matter. In the 60s, she epitomised British culture with her distinctive style, modelling for high fashion magazines and becoming the muse of rock stars Eric Clapton and George Harrison (Clapton’s Layla is inspired by her). She co-founded the charity SHARP (Self Help Addiction Recovery Program) and her latest project undertaken in collaboration with UK for UNHCR is incredibly powerful.

Why did you want to team up with UK for UNHCR for the Beyond The Headlines portrait series?

Photography has been a passion of mine all my life and it is truly staggering how many families around the world have been forced from their homes by conflict and persecution.

It has been an incredibly powerful experience to hear the stories and experiences from everyone taking part, and I hope the portraits reflect that.

What do you want people to feel with this portrait series?

It’s important to see past the sometimes-dehumanising media headlines that surround refugee crises and consider the experiences of people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of a safer place to live.

Unless you’ve experienced it personally, I think it’s impossible to truly understand how it feels to be forced to leave your home behind.

Being forced to flee your country – a place that holds significant personal and cultural value – in the hope that you can find somewhere safer to continue your life is a truly heart-breaking thought. 

UK for UNHCR’s incredible work for refugees is almost entirely funded by donations, so any donations received as a result of this campaign could be lifesaving. 

So many displaced families will be facing bitterly cold temperatures in bomb-damaged buildings or tents this winter.

Emergency donations can help families buy warm clothes or medicine.

The reality is that these extraordinary people are just like you and me – they are mothers, fathers, students, brothers and sisters – people with talents and hobbies who are hoping for a safe place that they can call home.

Can you tell us a little bit about the people you profiled for this series?

It was such an honour to meet and speak with the people I photographed and they each have their own moving story about their experiences.

Alexandra, an artist and curator from Kyiv, told me about her recollections of leaving her home when the war in Ukraine broke out.

She remembers the fear and anxiety that she experienced the morning she had to leave Kyiv, making a two-day journey to the Slovakian border.

I was also moved by Maysara’s story, a young man who was forced to put his education on hold when his family left everything behind in Syria.

He was eventually resettled in the UK with the support of UK for UNHCR, taught himself English and now studies at a top university.

He said that putting his life on hold from a young age taught him not to shy away from opportunities and he now embraces them head-on. 

Alexandra

Alexandra grew up in Kyiv and fled soon after the war started in Ukraine. She’s now made the UK her home and works as an artist and curator.

What was it like being a part of this portrait series?

On the shoot day, the team created an unforgettable experience. They were truly lovely and made me feel comfortable.

For me, it was a great pleasure to work with them – especially with Pattie Boyd. She was empathetic and genuinely interested in our stories.

She captured beautiful photos of us to share with the British public.

Can you tell us about your experience of having to flee Kyiv and what life is like for you now?

On 24 February 2022, I was woken by a phone call from my relative in Kharkiv, saying that the war had started.

My boyfriend and I packed only two backpacks with essentials and headed straight to the west of Ukraine.

The journey was really tough – we were in shock and felt that danger was chasing us. It was a difficult decision to leave Ukraine, but only when we crossed the border did we feel safe.

Initially, we stayed in Munich with my aunt. As soon as the British government announced the Ukrainian scheme, we applied. 

We arrived in England on 15 May and spent four months with a sponsor in Rugby, for whose support I am very grateful.

And now I’m living in London working as an artist. Reflecting on events in Ukraine this year, I organised a fundraising exhibition where other Ukrainian artists also shared their stories through art. 

I also plan to start studying at university next year.

What do you want people to feel when they look at the portraits in Beyond The Headlines?

I want them to see that behind every news headline, there’s a real human with a real story.

Behind every statistic, there are ordinary people who were forced to flee and become refugees. 

UK for UNHCR and Pattie Boyd’s portrait series aims to encourage the British public to look beyond the headlines and learn more about the experiences of ordinary people who have been forced to flee their homes and become refugees.

UK for UNHCR is calling for donations this winter to help provide essential support, such as blankets, fuel and emergency cash assistance to families who remain displaced after fleeing war and crisis in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine. You can find out more about the campaign and show your support with donations here.