Neighbours horrified by the desperate plight of the people of Ukraine have raised more than £3,200 by offering services for donations for a Red Cross critical aid appeal.
Allan and Alison Gee from Hitchin set up the ‘An Hour for Ukraine’ fundraising campaign earlier this month and have since been overwhelmed with support from the community.
The campaign began with a post in their street's WhatsApp group - set up originally as a way to support each other during the first national lockdown.
Neighbours living in Westwood Avenue began offering an array of services, from gardening and baking samosas to car washing, portrait photography, and sewing on Scout badges.
“It has been incredible,” said Allan.
“Not only has the scheme generated a significant amount of money in a very short space of time to help those in need in Ukraine, but it has also strengthened our local community and has been an excellent way of getting to know many more of our neighbours.
“If we as neighbours can raise funds together, we hope many other communities can do it, too. Together we can make a difference.”
There were also offers of conversational French and maths tuition, cooking Malaysian curries and baking cakes, as well as yoga, children’s art and crafts and making decorative front door bows in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.
The services were quickly booked up by other neighbours’ keen to donate to the community fundraising scheme.
News of the appeal travelled as far as New Zealand where a family originally from Hitchin also donated.
Residents in adjoining roads to Westwood Avenue, such as Kardwell Close, Passingham Avenue, Willoughby Way and The Aspens, soon became involved, extending the variety of services on offer.
Many of them came together on the green on Saturday for a table sale organised for the appeal. The stalls were laden with everything from bric-a-brac to homemade marmalade.
Alison, who has taken on several textile projects to raise funds, shared a table with next door neighbour Carolyn. They sold tray bakes and a small number of plants provided by one of Allan’s customers.
Allan, a gardener, has undertaken gardening, restrung a guitar and fixed fences and gates to raise funds. “As a neighbourhood community, we have been horrified and saddened by events in Ukraine,” he said.
“We can raise funds and make a donation to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal run by the British Red Cross.
"‘An Hour for Ukraine’ involves participants offering a skill or a service for an hour of their time, for which the recipient donates to the charity. Donations have been received from as far away as Cheshire, Merseyside, and even from former residents now living in New Zealand.
“The scheme has been successful because it has appealed to so many people, of different ages and with wide ranging skills, and benefits all involved. We feel this has potential to work for any charitable cause."
Ideas for more fundraisers in the area continue to flow. They include ‘A Recipe for Ukraine', which will be a recipe book made up of neighbours’ favourite family recipes.
For a donation, a household can submit a photo, information about why the dish is important to them, along with the recipe. This will be open to residents of all ages including children.
Cookery classes will also be held for a donation, and two neighbours are planning to undertake a marathon 100-mile cycle ride, through Herts, Beds, and Cambs to add to the fund.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine a month ago, more than 10 million people have fled their homes, with three million crossing the border to neighbouring eastern European countries.
There are also countless more trapped underground in cities bombarded by shelling from Russian troops, many with no food, water, medical care, heat, or electricity. The situation is becoming increasingly dire for the terrified people.
To donate to the ‘An Hour for Ukraine’ appeal go to https://bit.ly/3JT7WOc
To donate direct to the Red Cross’ Ukraine Crisis Appeal and for more information, go to donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal.
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