Housebuilder in Lower Stondon opens its doors for donations to Ukraine as fundraising continues in the Biggleswade area

Support continues to pour in for Ukraine from Chronicle country - with a housebuilder opening its doors to accept donations and fundraising events bringing in thousands of pounds.

Barrat Homes has opened its Sales and Marketing Suites across the home counties to collect donations for Ukraine - including the one at the Lavender Grange development on Bedford Road, Lower Stondon.

It will be open for members of the community to drop off their donations on Mondays from 12.30pm to 5.30pm and Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 5.30pm.

Supplies will be collected every fortnight and transported to Ukraine.

Whilst most essential items and non-perishables are appreciated, items that are currently most in need include baby food and formula, nappies, wipes and medicine - particularly children's medicine.

Karly Williams, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt North Thames, said: “We are proud to open our doors at Lavender Grange to collect supplies for those in need in Ukraine, and encourage the local community and our residents to donate what they can.

"We are working with a dedicated team, including a volunteer within our Barratt team, to ensure supplies are delivered quickly and safely.”

In addition to opening its sales offices as collection points, the Barratt Foundation has donated £50,000 to support The Sun’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal with the Red Cross. The donation will go straight to the Red Cross, who is a partner of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) charity, which is working inside Ukraine and at its borders to ease the suffering of those caught in the conflict.

Meanwhile, a hastily-arranged Mother's Day concert was held at the EcoHub in Gamlingay and has raised almost £2,000 to help Ukrainian mothers and children.

Two choirs, The Amici Singers and The Ensemble of Friends, sang a varied programme of songs, many of which reflected the appalling war being fought in Ukraine.

At the end, both choirs sang a Celtic Blessing “Deep Peace”, while Carole Lindsay-Douglas read two deeply moving modern poems about the current situation.

The choirs were conducted by Dr Douglas Coombes MBE, and accompanied by Trevor Hughes.

Elizabeth Gammell, one of the Amici Singers, said: “It was such a privilege to sing for such a worthwhile cause. We all hope the money raised will add to the fantastically generous support people in this country are giving to those suffering in Ukraine.”

Fundraising efforts haven't stopped there, with a charity football match set to take place at The Hollow in Potton on April 8.

Organiser Callum Bloxham said: "Over the last few weeks, myself and my father have been organising a charity football match. At first it was just going to be for my charity, Make-a-wish, which I am raising money for running the London Marathon in October.

"However, with the current situation in Ukraine, we thought it would be best to split the pot, half of the money raised will be going directly to DEC Ukraine appeal."

The match will feature a clash between a team of workers from a local electrical company City Electrical Factors and a team of workers and subcontractors from Callum's father's business, Bricks and Blox Ltd.

Along with the match there will be a chance to win great prizes in the raffle - including champagne, a 4.5kg bar of chocolate and more. Tickets are £1 a strip.

And if that wasn't enough there will also be a charity auction with prizes including a family ticket to Warner Bros Studios The Making of Harry Potter and a signed photo of Wayne Rooney.

Tickets are on sale at Potton's Highland's Garage, Londis Food Store and Potton United Football Club as well as on the day.

Kick-off will be at 7pm.

Over in Fairfield people have been donating clothing, food and medicines that have been shipped to Ukraine, with several families also willing to open their doors to refugees.

And on Saturday, April 22, a joint venture between the Community Hall and Fairfield Lower School PTA will be holding a quiz night to raise funds for Ukraine.

If you would like to take part tables of up to eight people are now being booked for £10 per person. To book, email [email protected].

> Are you raising funds to support Ukraine? Let us know at [email protected]