Chiltern Welcomes

Sanela's Story

Yugoslavia

Sanela was 8 years old in Yugoslavia when Tito died. She remembers the sadness that was all around. She wasn’t aware of any feeling that her country might fall apart.

England

She came to the UK in 1991, aged 19, on an au pair visa, wanting to learn English and experience life in another country. Sanela became an accidental refugee when civil war broke out in Bosnia in April 1992. Her mother urged her not to return as Sarajevo was no longer safe. Communication was extremely difficult and she was given “leave to remain” in the UK.

Her sister got married in Bosnia in November 1993 but Sanela could not attend. In January 1994, her sister was killed whilst walking home from work. In May, her mother arrived in the UK and applied for asylum. She returned to her home town in the Summer of 1996 for the first time. She has been back several times since but has mixed emotions about the country of her birth.

In 2001 she and her mother became British citizens and feel that this is now their home.

Café Koko

Sanela started a pop up café, Koko, on the Shardeloes estate in Summer 2020. Following its roaring success, she opened Old Town Koko's in Beaconsfield in Autumn 2023. She loves that these ventures have allowed her to meet so many local people and make new friends.