A busy Polish couple living in Caton have raised thousands of pounds for the Ukraine relief effort.
Despite working, taking care of a young family and a menagerie of rescued dogs and cats, Anna and Maciek Dobras wanted to help the people of Ukraine and have put a massive effort into providing humanitarian aid and support.
They set up the group Caton & Friends for Ukraine, and so far have raised more than £4,000 in cash and Just Giving donations, and brought together hundreds of volunteers, not only in Caton, but across the Lancaster District. They have also involved local businesses, churches and schools as well as linking up with volunteers and charities in London and Poland.
So far four vans have delivered essential supplies to the Ukraine/Poland border and a fifth van delivered items for children including 11 boxes of art and craft materials and 178 children's gift packs to a charity in Lodz caring for 120 refugee children. There were also cards and messages from 8 local schools which were delivered to the local authority in Lodz to be distributed to young refugees in the region.
Another van is due to set off towards the end of March and the group is focusing on collecting medical supplies for the hospital in Lviv. Maciek works in the health sector and is co-ordinating this. He welcomes offers of medical items or financial donations towards the cost of buying them.
Anna, who works with the homeless, also speaks Russian so has been communicating with Russian speaking Ukrainians who may consider coming to the UK under the government sponsorship scheme.
The Caton & Friends for Ukraine group will continue to provide essential supplies to Poland and Ukraine but it is also focusing on the support it can provide to refugees once they arrive here. Group members are offering a number things such as befriending, socialising, translation, help with accessing health care, benefits or employment, transport, etc. The group will continue to support the people of Ukraine, adapting its work and activities depending on the ongoing needs of the Ukrainian people, both in Ukraine and in the UK.
An information evening is being held at 6pm this coming Friday, 1st April at Caton Baptist Church and is open to anyone who is interested. A representative from Lancaster City Council will also be attending to talk about the role of the local authority.
You can find out more information on their Facebook page here
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