Tockwith & Milanowek Refugee Fundraising Appeal

Lighting up our public buildings – or in Tockwith’s case, our church – is a gesture of support for the desperate situation facing everyone in Ukraine. But without action, it is just a gesture.

Many of us in our local community would like to do more to help but are uncertain how to go about this. Make no mistake, donating to UNHCR and other charities on the ground is vital, but many people also feel the need to connect directly with those fleeing war – community to community, family to family. Our country is not - at the moment - allowing many refugees, while countries such as Poland are trying their best to accommodate as many families fleeing the bombing as possible.

Emma and I have direct contact with ex-pat friends Andrew Peter Eddles and Malcolm Veitch in Poland who live in Milanowek (a small town about 40km west of Warsaw) and in Warsaw itself. They are taking in as many people as they can. I asked Andy the best way to help and he suggested setting up a Go Fund Me page to gather donations in our community so that we can help the refugees in his community.

A bit of background. Emma has known both Andy and Malcolm since university days in Liverpool back in the 1980s. When she moved to Warsaw to teach English for a year in 1992, Andy went with her and ended up staying, with Malcolm moving to Poland the following year. Andy already has good charity credentials, having set up Smile Warsaw, a group of ex-pats who feed the homeless in Warsaw every Sunday: https://www.facebook.com/smilewarsaw.org/

Want to help out? Please chip in. 

Every pound will help create a pot of money so that our community can offer a little help to the refugees in theirs.

Thanks.

Emma and Jim

25/03/22 Quick update to acknowledge the wonderful donations from Ireland! Thank you to the staff and students of the Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences at Cork University.