On Saturday 22 January, people across the worshipping community in Quedgeley and Kingsway were welcomed to Saint James’ Church for a fundraiser in aid of children and families in Ukraine.
Jackie Hall, a member of St James’ says, “The church has connections with the Gloucestershire Ukraine Collection Team and one member, Laura Bullivant, had visited a care centre over there. Hearing how the children were impacted by the conflict, we decided to raise money to help them – that’s when the idea for the fundraiser came about.
Jackie got in touch with contacts at Tesco Quedgeley and the Q Club, a community enterprise that offers a range of clubs and activities for people of all ages.
“They were really happy to support us – offering raffle prizes and promotion of the event locally. It was a real collaborative effort that saw many people across the worshipping community getting involved, including local councillors and schools.”
Having donated £100 to the care centre at the end of 2022, the church wanted to build on this to help provide play equipment for the children to enjoy, some of whom are orphans.
With the Ukrainian flag flying outside and the blue and yellow bunting decorating the surrounding church railings, the setting was complete. A team of volunteers from across the community worked flat out all morning in the kitchen providing hot drinks, cake and refreshments, while others manned the various stalls, raffle and tombola.
Jackie says, “An amazing £880 was raised during the morning. These funds will go towards providing much-needed play equipment for the care centre, which is in a rural area in Ukraine.”
Anna Krupnik and her daughter Olga, both from Ukraine, spoke of their experiences.
Jackie says, “Anna told us of the time when she and her daughter were in a basement in Kherson for a month while the city was being bombed. It was very moving to hear their stories and to reflect that many are still living in basements and fearing for their lives every day.”
Posting on St James’ Facebook page, Anna said, “Today, we attended a charity event dedicated to raising funds to support Ukraine! We sincerely thank the people of England for their kind hearts.”
Gloucester Ukraine Collection Team has a local collection point for Gloucester, Quedgeley, Kingsway and surrounding areas for items to go to help Ukraine. Find out more here: Gloucestershire Ukraine Collection