On 15th October the charitable association “The Friends of Oleksandriya” had their AGM at BRLSI, Bath. More than 20 active members, all volunteers, gathered together to review everything their organisation has managed to achieve since December 2022, when a group of local citizens got together to help the city of Oleksandriya in Ukraine in the time of war. At the AGM, there were the trustees of the Fof O (Zhenya Shkil, Jeremy Fish, Will Jackson) as well as representatives of their partners, Rotary Club of Bath, Bath Spa University, Radio Bath, the Ukrainian Society of the University of Bath and the Royal High School as well as individuals who have been supportive throughout the last 2 years such as Cllr Dine Romero and Marian McNeir MBE.
New projects were discussed. Firstly, the world champion parkour player, Bohdan Kolmakov from Oleksandriya will visit Bath and demonstrate his skills. This will take place at the University of Bath on their main concourse (31st October 13:00 – 13:30) followed by workshops at the Baskerville’s Gym on the same date bookable through their online system.
At the end of November, The Friends will join the Plant and Hire Aid Alliance to send Christmas gifts for the children of Ukraine. There will be a Wrapathon that will take place at the Guildhall in Bath on Friday 22nd November followed by the second day on Saturday 23rd November at the location that is to be confirmed later where volunteers can come to wrap the presents that have already been donated for the children of Oleksandriya and bring their own presents if they wish. You can express your interest here Aid Alliance | Plant and Hire Aid Alliance .
The Friends will also organize their usual Bath Abbey Concert to mark the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Monday 24th February 2025. The tickets will be on sale very soon. If you would like to help, please visit their webpage on www.friendsofo.co.uk and contact their friendly team.
At the beginning of September 2024, the Chair of Friends of Oleksandriya, together with the CEO of Radio Bath, travelled to Ukraine to visit local schools, hospitals and refugee centres to see the impact of the humanitarian aid provided by the people of Bath and North East Somerset. The Friends of Oleksandriya Charitable Association, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Bath, has raised more than £100,000 so far to send much-needed generators and an ambulance to both the Children’s and Central Hospitals.
Zhenya Shkil and Simon McNeill-Ritchie also visited local schools, hospitals and refugee centres to identify the priorities for further aid. This identified the need for minibuses to enable pupils in rural areas to travel to school and for the growing numbers with physical disabilities to access hospital and medical care.
Zhenya Shkil recalled that “In one refugee centre, we heard from volunteers how they had fled the ravages of the cities we watch nightly on TV. They told us they work at the centre to ‘distract’ themselves from thoughts of their husbands fighting on the frontline. And at one school, an air raid alert forced us into an underground shelter, where we spoke with students who over the past 4 1/2 years have had to cope with first covid and and now the threat of war.”
The visitors spoke at length on several occasions with the Mayor of Oleksandriya, Serhii Kuzmenko, during which he recorded an interview for an Oleksandriya ‘special’ at a future date on Radio Bath). In his interview, Mayor Kuzmenko discussed the situation in the city and his hopes after the war for the Friendship relationship with the people of Bath and North East Somerset.
About The Friends
The Friends of Oleksandriya is a charitable association that promotes peace and friendship between communities. We believe that by working together, we can make a difference in people’s lives and create a better world. Our team is made up of volunteers who are passionate about helping others and making an impact in the world.
Since its very existence, the Friends of Oleksandriya Charitable Association, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Bath, managed to raise more than £100,000 which enabled us to buy 13 7.5kW generators as well as a 70kW generator for the Children’s Hospital in Oleksandriya and a 100kW generator for the Central Hospital of Oleksandriya which was crucial humanitarian aid in times when hundreds of Russian missiles caused severe damage to the infrastructure of Ukraine and the people of Oleksandriya were left without light and warmth.
For more information visit https://www.friendsofo.co.uk/