UPDATE: Setting up a UK charity

I’m currently in the process of establishing a UK-registered charity that will support animal rescue and care work connected to the situation in Ukraine.

The charity is being set up to create a more structured and sustainable way to help over the longer term, including working with people and groups already involved on the ground. While the registration process is underway, I am continuing the rescue efforts directly. Your support right now will ensure that this continues and we can help animals again and again, wherever that may be.

This isn’t my first journey.

I’ve already travelled from the UK twice. On the last trip I completed a drone evasion course in Budapest, then took the long, gruelling train journey into Ukraine to work in areas along and near the front line.

I saw it all firsthand. And now, knowing exactly what awaits, I’m going back a third time while building the next phase of this work from the UK.

What I’ve experienced

On those trips we rescued large numbers of animals under extreme pressure. There is the constant risk of gunfire all around us, drones and guided missiles overhead. Nowhere is truly safe. Every moment felt urgent.

All I could think about was getting them out.

I saw what no one should have to see:

Dogs tied to empty houses, still waiting for families who never came back

Stray cats and dogs wandering streets where shells landed daily, searching for food that barely exists

Animals huddled in rubble, hungry, injured, terrified, with no one to help them

Some so thin and used to being ignored, yet still showing hope in their eyes and clinging to us for their lives

We saved as many as we could. But there were ones we couldn’t reach. That’s the thought that stays with me. They’re still there. Trapped. Alone. And almost no one goes in for them.

Why I’m continuing and planning from the UK

I’m not going in blind. I know the long train journeys, the constant drone threat, the noise, the fear, and the real risk every trip carries.

But I also know this: if people like me don’t keep showing up, no one will.

These animals cannot escape by themselves. They will stay in the line of fire, starving, sick, injured, with no hope. Winter is coming, and conditions will only get worse.

I’ve seen the difference it makes when help arrives. I’ve held animals who went from shaking in terror to finally feeling safe. And I’ve seen what happens when no one shows up.

Next mission: equipping a van from the UK

The immediate next step is to equip a van here in the UK with everything needed for front-line animal rescue and evacuation work in Ukraine. This includes transport, food, clean water, veterinary supplies, shelter materials, warmth, and the practical tools required to reach animals in remote and dangerous areas, get them out safely, and give them a chance to recover. The van will also take physical donations to the areas who need them.

Your continued support makes this possible!

What your donations help with

Donations will be used for the practical costs of this rescue work. This can include:

Equipping and running the UK-based van and any associated transport for front-line evacuations

Travel, fuel, and vehicles to reach remote areas

Food, clean water, and supplies for animals we rescue

Urgent veterinary care, medicine, and treatment

Safe transport and temporary shelter

Ongoing care, warmth, and recovery once animals are out of immediate danger

Supporting reliable local partners and facilities so there is somewhere safe for the animals to go

Every donation goes toward the practical needs of rescuing and supporting these animals, whether through the work I’m doing now, equipping the van, or supporting the broader effort as the charity takes shape. Funds will be used flexibly to advance the mission.

The plain truth

Without support, this next step cannot happen. And if we cannot keep going in, those animals have no one else. They are completely dependent on whoever is willing to walk toward the danger, not away from it.

I’ve done it twice. I know how hard and dangerous it is. And I’m still going back a third time, better prepared, and with a longer-term structure being built from the UK.

Every donation, no matter how small, helps us reach one more animal that would otherwise be left behind. If you can’t give, sharing this page makes just as much difference. It connects us to the people who can.

Thank you. For standing with us. For standing with them.