Group in Corby raises £4,000 for Ukrainian Charity

Oakley Vale Community Association chair and Corby Silver Band drummer, Paul Balmer, along with Katie Hodgson, and Julia Kovalevska and her family, handed over a cheque today (October 17) to Ukrainian charity, Family of Christ Ukraine.

Oakley Vale Community Association and Corby Silver Band have raised £4,000 for the charity.

They have been raising money for Ukraine since just after the Russian invasion began and they have no intentions of stopping.

Paul said: “The war is not stopping, so we’re staying with it. We’re just figuring out what’s the next stunt we can do.”

The fundraising all started back in March when Paul invited Ukrainian families to address the annual general meeting of Oakley Vale Community Association at which time was devoted to a response of how to help those affected by the war.

With help from Polish-born resident Maria Rowe, a plan was devised to collect as many useful donations as possible.

A market stall collection point for donations for Ukrainian families was opened in Corby town centre to make it easy for people to drop off much-needed supplies.

Paul said: “When I realised it was a big issue, I contacted Maria to see how we could help and she put me in touch with Julia.

Ukrainian Corby residents Julia Kovalevska and her husband organised collections of donated baby food and medical supplies for shipment to western Ukraine where they have relatives.

The two market stalls, decorated with Ukrainian blue and yellow flags, were open for donations of baby food and medical supplies. With cardboard boxes from Julia's work, the items were packed ready for transporting to Ukraine via a depot in London.

Volunteers from Corby's Ukrainian community were on hand to process donations in the town centre.

The idea was made possible with space provided by Corby town centre manager Dan Pickard.

Following the market stalls, a concert was also organised to continue raising money.

The Corby Silver Band, The Decibelles Ladies Choir, and Deep Roots Tall Trees Choir all performed on July 13, at The Core at Corby Cube.

100 percent of the proceeds will go to supporting nurseries in war-torn Ukraine.

Lots of people and groups have come together to donate and help, including Corby Lions and workers from Burton Latimer who collected £138.