Bridgwater people have been inundating the Town Hall with donations for the latest Ukrainian relief lorry which will leave from the town this Saturday 19th November taking much needed supplies to the frontline of the war with Russia in Kharkiv. Town Council Leader Cllr Brian Smedley says “We have been overwhelmed by the generous response from the people of Bridgwater. But we expected this. We now ask for a pause in donations  to thew town hall as we see how the situation develops over the winter period. The people have been bringing sleeping bags, torches, medicines, thermals, coats and gloves by the bag load and we’ve stored them at the Town Hall throughout but now they’re ready to go, and that’s directly to the people who need them in the newly liberated areas of Ukraine. We’d like to thank everybody for their generosity because we know that Bridgwater people share this common decency and sense of solidarity. especially in the face of the horrors that have fallen into the lands of the Ukraine.”

Thanks for Generosity

Bridgwater based Ukrainian aid co-ordinator Galyna Tryndyuk said “On behalf of Ukrainians in Somerset and Ukrainians in their homeland, I would like to thank you all for your generosity. The amount of humanitarian aid, that you have kindly brought to Bridgwater town hall, is helping us to fill up the lorry. Warm clothes, socks, hats, fleeces, children’s clothes, toys, bags of Christmas presents for Ukrainian children, food for people and pets and so many other things. We are especially grateful for the generator (there are problems with electricity in Ukraine), sleeping bags and yoga mats – the winters in Ukraine are very cold, the temperature can fall to below -15 if not lower. The container is now full. So many Ukrainian volunteers, big, small and tiny, work behind the scenes sorting, packing, stacking to make sure the truck can leave on time. The truck is booked for the 19^th of November. We will appreciate any help on the day to load the truck. We cannot use forklift as, regretfully, we didn’t have facilities to load the goods on the pallets. ” 

Ukrainian Gala Night

Cllr Smedley adds “The lorry will be funded by money donated from the town via the town council, St Marys church appeal and through Bridgwater Together. The next major event on the Ukraine calendar will be the Gala show at the Bridgwater Arts Centre on Friday 2nd December. Tickets are on sale now and will be £10 each. Come along and see a wealth of Ukrainian singers and dancers and hear first hand the Story of Ukraine and of whats happening there now with films and personal testimonies on stage. There’ll also be food and the bar will be open”