Thank you all SO much for your generosity! We have been absolutely blown away by the scale of it.
Jenny and Olivia, ably (????) supported by my daughter Caitlin and her friend Amelia, spent much of the day sorting through your donations and repacking items into groupings which could more easily be used and organised by the team at the Stockport Ukrainian Club, where we had arranged to drop the goods off.
There were almost tears as we saw everything you had done, and the enormity of what was going on hit home. I still can’t begin to imagine how the people in the Ukraine must be feeling. It’s simply horrendous!
We even had one very kind gentleman contact us (thank you Michael) to say that not only will he and his wife be dropping some goods off tomorrow (in fact they have gone shopping to get exactly what is required before dropping off), but that he was a qualified and experienced HGV driver, ex army and ex ambulance driver, and that if needed and we could get our hands on a lorry, he wold be happy to drive to Poland to take everything over!
We had many small moments of panic as people kept updating us throughout the day that the Club, and various other drop off points, were no longer accepting donations. However our focus on items that had been specifically requested by the club helped, and when we spoke with them again early afternoon they were delighted to welcome us.
So we loaded up three cars full of donations and drove down to the Stockport Ukrainian Club in convoy… and what a lovely, lovely group of people they are!
They told us some awful stories of how their families are faring, and some beautiful stories of the generosity they’ve encountered in the last few days. Such as the gentleman who walked in on Monday, having first gone to his bank to draw his pension, and handed it all over.
It was all a little crazy, so I don’t have many photos to share, and it somehow didn’t feel right either, so I’ve attached a few early ones before it went nuts!!
They now have more physical donations than they can handle, so with the exception of those of you who have already been in touch to say you are dropping items off tomorrow, we won’t be able to accept and store more product.
However, they have said that there will be more requirements as the situation progresses, so please do keep hold of anything you have put to one side and we will keep you posted as to what can be done with them.
They are also looking now for financial donations to support those who have been displaced within the Ukraine and find themselves unable to leave – they are in desperate need of everyday essentials as well as clean water, blankets, sleeping bags and medical equipment.
The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain’s (AUGB) Help Ukraine Emergency Appeal has already raised more than £1.6m towards a target of £2m.
Every single penny of this fund goes directly to support the growing humanitarian crisis, and you can read more and find out where your money goes here:
And the link for more about The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain’s (AUGB)
And for those of you on Facebook, here’s a link to the Stockport Ukrainian Club’s page. The Club is available for hire, for weddings, christenings, parties and at some point in the future I’ve been assured that they will be putting on some events to thank the people of Stockport for your support.
All that remains for me to say right now, is thank you once again – you’re all amazing!
Take care, stay safe, and hug your loved ones extra tight!
Very best wishes
Sarah x
