Help support my family in Ukraine

Dear Family and Friends,

As some of you may know, my family is from Kharkiv, Ukraine and my parents (Ganna and Yevgeniy) have been living in the capital Kyiv for the past few years.

Me and Matt were lucky enough to be able to see them in Ukraine a few months before this terrible war started. Right now the reality is very different and even though my parents and most of my loved ones have fled to safety, this has come with its own price.

My mum and dad made the difficult decision to leave their home behind when they realised civilians were also going to be targeted and took their bare necessities on day 2. Along with a group of friends they made a three day journey to the West of Ukraine. They have been using their savings to rent whatever temporary housing they could find, currently sharing a room between 6 people. It’s been difficult to plan financially when the length of this war is so unpredictable.

At this time, we are helping as much as we can with our own resources and are unsure for how long we could sustain them. We have made the decision to reach out to you for help with any funds you would be willing to provide that will allow to get them the necessary goods and accommodation to get through this uncertain time while remaining in Ukraine. Unfortunately we can’t bring them to the U.K. as men between 18 and 60 cannot leave the country and my mum wouldn’t leave my dad on his own.

They’ve decided that at this moments it is best to stay put where they are and help as much as they can, whether that is logistics to help people get to safer areas, driving them to the border or local volunteering.

Any of the funds we collect will be primarily to help my parents, however they will also be using this to help any of our family and friends in need.

If you can, please spread the word and repost this fundraiser.

When this war is over and we are at peace, you will all be more than welcome to come and enjoy the beauty of my country. Anyone who has met my parents know that they’d be received with top level hospitality, all the love they offer and of course my dads amazing shashliki and my mums homegrown preserves from her garden!!!