CAFUKR News

Saturday March 15th 

Packing session today included 5 of our most reliable packing team – Alina, Raisa, Nataliia, Nadia, and Olga. Thank you, ladies. Shipment No 22, 83 bags, 600 kgs, plus various items for Kent Relief’s medical shipments, will be shipped to Tunbridge Wells on Sat 29th March, & on to Dnipro & Brovary, Ukraine, in April. 

Monday March 3rd

We heard today that we are finalists in the Heart Hertfordshire Hero Awards 2025, specifically the Ukraine Support Award, sponsored by Hertfordshire County Council.

This is a great credit to the entire wider team including at the Chorleywood end Alina Fursa and her fantastic team of packing ladies, Sue Ramsay, CEO at Kent Relief charity and her team of logistics experts and volunteers in Tunbridge Wells, and finally Anastasia Volodymyrivna in Brovary, near Kyiv, and her dedicated team of volunteers at From Dreams to Reality charitable foundation (registered in Ukraine).

Three teams of around 30 people each, geographically separated by 80 miles & then 1,600 miles, all working together. Well done all.

Slava Ukraini !

Monday February 24th

On this the 3rd anniversary of the full invasion of Ukraine, we list below our accomplishments to date:

1. Started from scratch the day after the invasion of February 24th 2022.

2. Established a wide-ranging network to cover operational needs.

3. Shipped 11 tons of aid end to end without loss or theft, registered charity to registered charity.

4. Raised £63,000 for purchasing specifically needed aid, both here and in Ukraine, and for shipping costs.

5. Shipped goods include Medical, Hygiene, Clothing, Shoes, Food, Baby Food, Kitchenware, Bedding, Children’s Toys etc.

6. Our tourniquet shipments over the past 3 years may well alone have helped save one or more lives.

7. Our aid helps (in Ukraine) orphans, mental institutions, children, special needs, hospitals, displaced persons, mothers, babies, refugees, widowed families and injured soldiers.

8. Visited in person our charity colleagues in Brovary, near Kyiv, “From Dreams to Reality” for improved communication and by way of audit.

9. Recently raised £6,000 for our charity colleagues in Brovary near Kyiv to purchase a used van for their huge charitable activities.

10. Overcome various hurdles that have presented themselves and never lost focus or perseverance.

11. Advised and guided other charities helping Ukraine and following in our pioneering footsteps.

Monday February 3rd

We reached our van appeal target of £6,000 by Fri Jan 31st. Donations were made from:

Chorleywood Aid for Ukraine 1,520

Kent Relief 1,000

West Herts Charity Trust 750

Single local donor. 750

Donations (online) 1,980 (1 x 250, 1 x 200, 10 x 100, + 530 in smaller amounts).

TOTAL £6,000

Thank you very much indeed to all generous supporters. A newer vehicle will make a huge difference to aid distribution over in Ukraine.

We are currently awaiting clearance for the bank transfer from our charity colleagues in Ukraine as their exchange control regulations have tightened so it is now involving their accountant and lawyer. We expect the money to be successfully transferred within days.

Monday Jan 27th

The hard-working Ukraine ladies packing team packed another half shipment on Sunday Jan 19th in the sorting garage at 2C temperature. All very successful & we have since added 2 car-loads of various sized nappies which our colleagues in Brovary near Kyiv have specifically requested as very much in demand.

We committed to our charity colleague at FD2R Anastasia, last autumn, that we would try to raise £6,000 by Jan 31st towards her urgently needed transport replacement, a used VW van. We have been running an appeal campaign which ends this Thurs 30th Jan, and I’m pleased to say that we have £1,000 committed by our charity colleagues Kent Relief, and to date £3,300 on our own, so are now within £1,700 of our target. Details on our Ukraine Transport Appeal page.

Wed Dec 25th

Our latest shipment arrived at the large, palletised warehouse in Dnipro just in time for Christmas. Distribution now to follow. Video is posted in our Galleries – Shipping. Thank you all for your contributions, both goods and financial.

We have a packing session lined up for Sunday January 19th which will form the first half of our next shipment due to go to Kent late Feb / early March. Packing for us involves sorting, accepting / rejecting, packing, weighing, labelling, indexing for customs, & re-storing awaiting shipment.

Sat Dec 14th

Our shipments #20 & #21 left Kent Relief today on board an artic carrying 26 pallets of medical aid heading to Dnipro, 300m SE of Kyiv, and further East than we have shipped before, but a perfect Eastern location to distribute to the frontline regions, the most needy, & the hospitals in Kherson, Dnipro etc. Our consignment included:

Bedding (duvets, pillows, blankets) – 76 bags (donated)

Bathroom (towels) – 9 bags (donated)

Hygiene (adult pads / nappies) – 15 bags (donated)

Tourniquets – 1 bag (£360)

First Aid kits – 3 bags (£600)

Medicines (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Cough syrup) – 8 bags (£1,000)

Kitchen (eating & cooking) – 5 bags (£140 + £500 = £640)

TOTAL 117 bags / 793 kgs – (£2,600 excluding shipping)

Almost everything our charity colleagues in Brovary requested as desperately in need of, & arriving ahead of Christmas. The Dnipro warehouse is operated by a Swedish charity colleague of our friends at Kent Relief, and is equipped for palletised loads.

We are now planning a packing session for mid-January, plus a 2nd in late February, & our next shipment in March we think.

Sat Nov 16th

A consignment of 68 bags of usable clothing, shoes, and childrens toys, weighing around 700 kgs, was loaded and despatched to an East London charity helping people in need. The cost of this shipment was met from outside CAFU’s charitable funds.

CAFU is no longer collecting clothing, shoes, or children's toys, but does still very much need bedding - duvets, pillows, sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, also towels.

Wed Nov 13th

Shipments 20 and 21, comprising 117 bags weighing 793 kgs, were loaded and shipped to our partners at Kent Relief ready for the large lorry to Ukraine in December.

Sun Nov 10th

Our packing team - eight Ukrainian ladies - worked from 10am to 3pm to sort a very full garage into 97 packed stripey bags for Ukraine, plus 20 bags of high-quality clothing for Kent Relief's charity shop (helping raise funds for the lorries to Ukraine), and another 70 bags of clothing, shoes and toys bound for an East London charity helping people in need.

The next Ukraine shipment from Kent, in December, will contain 76 bags bedding, 9 bags towels, 15 bags hygiene, 1 bag tourniquets, 8 bags medicine, and 5 bags of cookware and eating ware. All items were specifically requested by our charity colleagues in Brovary, Ukraine, and will arrive in time for Christmas.

Sat Oct 26th

Pierre, Alina our Packing Co-ordinator, & Raisa our Senior Packer, all headed down to Kent Relief’s TN2 facility at Tunbridge Wells, to re-sort Shipment 18 of August 24th, into 17 bags of required aid for Ukraine, and 44 bags of clothes, shoes, toys, & unwanted items, to be sold at Kent Relief’s charity shop in the Royal Victoria Place shopping mall in Tunbridge Wells. A successful day but a long 7 hour one.

Sat Oct 19th

Shipment 19 was loaded & delivered to Kent Relief in Tunbridge Wells today. 43 bags, 442 kgs, clothes only, for Kent Relief to sell at their Charity Shop in Tunbridge Wells, with proceeds going towards ours quarterly 12-15 ton lorry shipments.

Fri Oct 18th 

We received an update last night from our charity colleagues near Kyiv & we no longer are collecting clothes, shoes, childrens soft toys, or cushions. They still have very high demand for bedding ie duvet quilts, blankets, sheets / bed linen, pillows, & sleeping bags, & they have provided us with new high priorities, many of which we will finance at wholesale prices eg first aid (tourniquets / field first aid kits), medicines, hygiene (adult & children), food, etc.

Sun Oct 13th

Shipment no. 19 overall was packed today by our dedicated Ukraine ladies packing team who worked a long 5-hour shift, 8 of them. We are sending clean & high-quality goods. Thank you, donors. This shipment will depart next Sat 19th for Kent & will leave for Ukraine & Brovary in November along with our September shipment no. 18, already in Kent.

Sat Sep 7th

Shipment number 18 overall, and our 11th shipment via Kent Relief in Tunbridge Wells, previously Ukraine Relief Group, was shipped from our Chorleywood garage today, to Kent.

Also, this week, our May 4th 1 ton shipment to Kent, shipment # 17, was collected in Lviv by our colleagues from Brovary, the usual 700-mile round-trip by van. 

Our garage now has space, but already around ½ ton of aid, & therefore ready to pack and ship again this November / December.

Thank you kindly, Chorleywood, for the donations, the consideration, the laundered duvets & clothes. You represent the UK well for your generosity & I know personally how much this is appreciated in Brovary, near Kyiv. They all know the word “Chorleywood” !!

Thu Aug 29th

We reached our JustGiving target of £1,000 for the generator for our charity partners in Brovary, nr Kyiv, this week. They have confirmed they have received the £1,000 or EUR 1,200 for their silent generator. We have also offered to supply funds for the electrician to install it & connect it to the electrical supply for their hub building in a safe way. This donation not only allows ongoing hub operations this winter, through fully expected long power cuts, but also may inspire their volunteers, & make their hub better known in the neighbourhood to those in need, notably arriving evacuees from front line areas, but not forgetting those whose homes have been targeted by missiles. We continue to send high quality garments, & many Chorleywood donors have them dry cleaned first. Thank you all most kindly.

Sun Aug 25th

Our latest aid shipment left Kent via articulated lorry on Saturday afternoon Aug 17th and arrived Lviv Wednesday morning Aug 21st. Our charity colleagues in Brovary are making plans to collect by van in the coming days, a 700-mile round trip for which we provide the fuel money.

Our next shipment is already bagged & labelled and will be delivered by van to Kent next Saturday Aug 31st. We expect our next sorting & packing session with the local Ukraine ladies to be late October or November.

Our Just Giving appeal for £1,000 to provide a generator for the charity hub in Brovary for the coming winter is now at £780 so we are confident we will be sending the money for the generator during September. Thank you Chorleywood, & others, for your support and generosity.

Sun Jul 14th

A small army of no less than 9 enthusiastic local Ukraine ladies attacked a mountain of donated goods in our garage, representing donations since late May, stacked 8 feet high in bags, boxes, carriers & suitcases. They started at 10am & worked both hard & fast sorting & packing 61 bags weighing 575 kgs, for almost 4 hours. This will become Shipment No 18 after we top it up to 80 bags & 800 kgs to maximise our 1-ton shipping cost of £800 per shipment to the Brovary charity hub. This shipment should depart for Ukraine in October.

The 1-ton shipment we delivered to Kent Relief in Tunbridge Wells on May 4th will leave soon, possibly by end of July. CAFU volunteers will travel to Tunbridge Wells to help the 60 strong team manually load the lorry.

We remain keen to receive more financial donations to pay for current & future shipments, alongside the generously donated good quality bedding, clothing & childrens soft toys. Thank You Chorleywood and surrounds. Thank you very much. The far end charity are most appreciative.

Sat Jul 6th

Alina & her packing team will be putting in a full day sorting & packing on Sunday July 14th in preparation for a shipment to Tunbridge Wells late August. Kent Relief hope to load a lorry for Ukraine late July & this will include our May shipment we dropped off with them. We continue to be able to send a 1-ton shipment of primarily good quality used clothing & bedding, once every 3 months.

Sat Jun 30th

Pierre travelled to Kyiv by overnight train from Krakow last Sunday / Monday returning overnight Tuesday / Wednesday. He met with our colleague Anastasia who founded & runs the From Dreams to Reality registered charity in Brovary, NE of Kyiv.

After meeting various volunteers and a tour of the charity hub in Brovary, which is well used by evacuees from the Kharkiv region arriving at government hostels in Brovary, usually with little to no clothing or bedding, Pierre also did a stint at the camouflage netting being made at the hub for the soldiers at the front, and visited the Brovary military cemetery to pay respect, including 2 charity volunteers lost in military combat, as well as many other local soldiers well known to Anastasia & her team.

There were detailed discussions about current & future needs, long term plans & the usual exchange of gifts including from our local Ukraine ladies packing team, & from our charity teddy bears & no-sugar sweets for the orphans & special needs children FD2R care for, as well as a signed union jack flag.

A tiring & long trip but essential to meet in person the charity team we have worked with for over 2 years now, & until now solely by WhatsApp & occasional video call.

Sun Apr 21st

Another successful sorting & packing day at our Chorleywood storage facility with 8 enthusiastic local Ukraine ladies & 1 teenage Ukraine son for the subsequent labelling & indexing for Customs Lists. Another approx 800 kgs in 80 bags (Shipment # 17) ready for van transfer to Tunbridge Wells on Sat May 4th, & onward to Ukraine by articulated lorry hopefully within 4-6 weeks later.

Pierre is now booked to visit our charity colleagues at “From Dreams to Reality”, Brovary, nr Kyiv, in late June, travelling by train Krakow-Przemysl-Kyiv & return same way. Will be discussing priorities, costs, and future plans, as well as visiting orphanages we have supplied. Kent Relief will also visit Brovary this summer.

Wed Apr 3rd

Aid from the last Kent Relief lorry in February (14 tons) is being distributed via 2 hubs in Ukraine to the following causes:

KYIV REGION (Eastern Ukraine):

• Brovary (15m NE of Kyiv) – Charity supporting orphanages & other needy causes (our colleagues at “From Dreams to Reality”).

• Kyiv – Charity supporting front line service animals (food & veterinary kits).

• Boryspil (25m E of Kyiv) – Aqua Venti charity.

• Konatop (160m NE of Kyiv) – Animal shelter.

• Cherkasy (120m SE of Kyiv) – Charity supporting refugee families from Bakhmut (70 families).

• Kremenchuk (185m SE of Kyiv) - Recovery centre for injured soldiers.

LVIV REGION (Western Ukraine):

• Lviv – Hospital.

• Lviv – Orphanages.

• Odesa (500m SE of Lviv) – Charity supporting schoolchildren.

• Kherson (600m SE of Lviv) – Hospital near front line.

Kent Relief expect to be sending aid to Kharkiv (300m E of Kyiv) in the near future.

CAFUKR is assisting with the Kyiv distribution via our associated hub there.

Tue Mar 5th

Our latest lorry shipment with Kent Relief arrived Lviv on Sunday evening for partial unloading, & arrived Brovary (nr Kyiv) last night for final unloading at our charity colleagues there, who will assist in the distribution to the various targeted charities in Eastern Ukraine.

It had left Kent on Sun Feb 11th but became stranded in Poland due to Polish farmer blockades on the Ukraine border which included tipping Ukraine grain onto the road & rail border crossings. It’s our first shipment since August 2023 due to the previous Polish haulier blockades at the Ukraine border last autumn / winter.

Sat Feb 11th

Several of us went down to Royal Tunbridge Wells today to help Kent Relief load an articulated lorry bound for Lviv & Kyiv. A total of 13 tons destined for 13 charities across Ukraine - Orphanages, Hospitals, Disabled, War-widowed families, etc. Our first shipment in 6 months due to EU border blockades. 60 volunteers, 4 hours & a lovely Ukrainian home cooked hot lunch & job done! We even overtook the lorry on its way North on the A21 before the M25.

Final destination, after an initial drop-off in Lviv, is our companion charity in Brovary, nr Kyiv, where Anastasia has warehousing to accommodate such a large load. Lorry should be in Germany tomorrow morning, unload in Lviv on Monday & unload in Brovary on Wednesday most likely.

See our Galleries / Shipping page for photos. The “Express Logistics” lorry. We met some lovely volunteers, both Ukrainian & English, & made new friends. BBC SE News attended & we were their first news item tonight.  Click here to view their report.

Mon Jan 22nd

We have a modest dinner planned for Sat Feb 17th for the Trustees to meet & thank the Ukraine ladies packing team of 2 years. Joining us will be Sue & Matt from Kent Relief.

We still have 3 tons of packed & labelled aid in Tunbridge Wells awaiting the next articulated lorry to Lviv, which still depends on the lifting of the border blockades in Poland which now appears imminent.

The packing ladies have a sorting & packing session arranged for Sat 27th Jan & will sort, pack, label, & weigh another 40 bags or 400kgs of donated aid. We have shipped around 8,000 kgs to date & Kent Relief have shipped 80,000 kgs or 10 articulated lorry loads.

Happy New Year everyone !

Sat December 16th

Delivered another 1 ton cargo to Kent Relief in Tunbridge Wells making a total of 3 tons of Chorleywood aid in their now FULL departures hall. Our sorting & storage garage in Chorleywood is now mainly empty so we can accept another 1.5 tons before we are out of space. We will now begin to divide aid for Ukraine vs charity shop saleable goods for Kent Relief, until the Ukraine border blockades end. Happy Christmas everyone and many thanks for your immense local support. Best wishes for 2024 !

Thu December 7th

Pierre completed the 3rd & final Ukraine presentation to the 1st Chorleywood Scout troops, comprising a slide & video presentation on Ukraine (the country, it’s culture & history), plus a short section on the CAFU charity, & some slides of Pierre’s scouting days as a Queens Scout at 1st Chorleywood. The intermissions offered the scouts a taste of home-made traditional Ukraine food & compote (fresh berry juice), prepared and served by the CAFU Ukraine ladies packing team & friends. The scouts were also taught some Ukraine words & enjoyed the Ukraine national anthem sung by a 40,000 strong choir in Latvia in 2022.

Wed December 6th

Ukraine border blockades remain in place. In theory humanitarian aid is excepted, but in reality this is not the case. We have 2 tons sitting in Kent ready for shipment & another 1 ton in Chorleywood. This Saturday we will ship 1 ton of unsorted aid to Kent Relief, who will sort at their TN2 hub & send saleable clothing to their new charity shop in Tunbridge Wells, with proceeds going to our charity in Ukraine, & bedding they will pack for shipment to Ukraine. We all hope this blockade will end soon. For now we have ceased accepting goods donations here in Chorleywood but remain eager to receive financial donations to assist with our future shipments.

Sat November 27th

Our local Ukraine ladies packing team sorted & packed another ½ ton at our storage facility in Chorleywood, so we now have 1 ton sorted, bagged, & labelled, and ready to ship to Kent Relief who have kept space for this 3rd 1 ton shipment.

Sat November 25th

The articulated lorry due to load at Kent Relief today & transport to Lviv, including our 2 tons there, was cancelled due to the blockades of the Ukraine borders in both Poland & Slovakia.

Sun November 5th

Our local Ukrainian ladies packing team sorted & packed another 40 bags (1/2 ton) today which is half a van load. Likely we can take another 1-ton van load to Kent in mid-December.

The 2 van loads (2 tons) we have in Tunbridge Wells with Kent Relief will load onto an articulated lorry on Sat Nov 25th & will depart that evening, arriving Lviv, Ukraine by Tue Nov 28th, ready for onward shipment to our charity colleagues in Brovary, nr Kyiv later that week.

Sat November 4th

Delivered another 81 bags / 850 kgs to Kent Relief for onward shipment to our partner charity in Brovary, Ukraine. This is the 5th load this year (Jan, Feb, May, Sep, Nov) totalling 5 tons, & we may even fit in another 1 ton load before Christmas depending on clothes & bedding donations. Please remember we also need financial donations to help with our shipping costs which are as efficient as possible.

Sat October 7th

Our Ukrainian ladies packing team sorted & packed another ½ ton (around 50 bags) which is half a 1-ton shipment, in a record 2 ½ hours. Thank you ladies & thank you donors for the high-quality clothing & bedding given to us, & for cleaning a lot of it also. 

Sat September 2nd

Today delivered 100 bags / 997 kgs to Kent Relief in Tunbridge Wells, for onward shipment in October. Last large shipment was delivered by Kent Relief’s man in Lviv to Kyiv, Brovary (ours), Konatop (NE), a small town south of Zaporizhia near the front line (SE), & Odessa (SW). Over 1,000 miles round trip.

Kent Relief is now a registered charity & several of their trustees are doing a tour of Ukraine in 2 weeks’ time, visiting many of the targets for the UK aid they forward, including our charity connections in Brovary, plus orphanages, medical facilities, & animal welfare locations.

CAFU’s now famous “stripey bags” have featured twice on BBC SE News in both May & July this year, at the Kent Relief warehouse & during day long trailer loading sessions there.

Mon August 7th

Three cargoes totalling 3 ½ tons will travel today from Lviv to our charity in Brovary, nr Kyiv. 1 ton from Chorleywood to our Brovary charity, 2 tons to a charity in Kyiv, 15 miles from Brovary, plus ½ ton of pet food destined for Konatop, 160 miles NE of Kyiv. A combined effort greatly helped by Kent Relief’s hubs in Tunbridge Wells & Lviv.

Sat July 29th

Kent Relief are loading in Tunbridge Wells today a 22-ton aid load bound by road for Lviv, & the majority onwards to Kherson region to assist those affected by the Kakhovka dam breach.

Fri July 21st

Gagan Mohindra MP visited CAFUKR for a routine meeting, & met one of our 2 new trustees, Roger Dromard, & also Viktoriia Myronova, Team Leader – Ukraine Support, Hospital and Community Navigation Service (HCNS). Viktoriia is sponsored by British Red Cross, works out of Three Rivers District Council offices, & along with a colleague looks after the needs of Ukrainian visitors across Herts, especially re hosting changes, plus housing & mental health needs. Gagan is now involved in helping Viktoriia with her challenges within the various systems, & effecting change hopefully.

Fri July 14th

Kent Relief, previously Ukraine Relief Group, have confirmed the next large lorry shipment to Lviv will load & depart Tunbridge Wells on Saturday July 29th. Our shipment # 13 of 75 bags weighing 809 kgs, & delivered to Tunbridge Wells on Sat May 20th, will be on board. If our Brovary (near Kyiv) charity are required to collect from Lviv, we will send the fuel money for the 700 mile round trip van drive, as per last shipment.

Kent Relief now have a new website, www.kentrelief.org.uk, & have shipped over 70 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine since February 2022, including almost 10 tons from CAFUKR. Remarkable.

Fri June 30th

Our local Ukraine mums packing team did another marvellous job today packing aounf 40 bags or half a shipment. We also heard the next artic lorry from Kent will load Sat July 15th with our shipment # 13 on board. Therefore, we plan to drop to Kent late July / early Aug another 80 bags / 1 ton shipment after we do our shopping for medical, hygiene, baby & food items.

Wed June 14th

Collected 25 large boxes of high quality used / near new clothing from Countess Ilona Esterhazy in Nettlebed, near Henly-on-Thames. Countess Ilona is Chair of Prosper Mental Health charity & this clothing would otherwise have been sold to raise £2,500 for that charity. Thank you kindly Ilona & PROSPER.

Sat May 20th

Dropped 75 bags weighing 809 kgs to our charity colleagues in Royal Tunbridge Wells today. Usual contents – donated clothing, shoes, & bedding, plus purchased medical, food, baby & hygiene. It will await next artic lorry to Lviv or Kyiv, usually within 4-8 weeks, & is then there in 5-10 days. Another job well done by our superb Ukraine ladies packing team in Chorleywood. Well done all & thank you Chorleywood for donations of goods & money.

Fri May 5th

Shipment 12 arrived Brovary, nr Kyiv, after our charity colleagues there drove the 720-mile round trip to Lviv to collect it. 99 bags, 1,000 kgs, of clothing, shoes, bedding, medicine, food, hygiene and baby items. All as requested by From Dreams to Reality charitable foundation, Brovary, Ukraine. CAFU paid the fuel costs for the charity to collect in Lviv. Ukraine Relief Group of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, provided the transport from Kent to Lviv (1,200 miles). CAFU delivered to Kent (142-mile round trip). URG provide storage in both Tunbridge Wells & Lviv.

Sun 23rd April

Purchased food, hygiene, & baby items requested by our Brovary charity, at Aldi, Apsley, in preparation for shipment 13. 4 shopping trolley loads ie 1 car load.

Fri 21st April

Collected first half of purchased medicines for shipment 13, due to leave to Kent mid May.

Sun 16th April

Shipment number 12 left Tunbridge Wells today en route to Ukraine & our charity friends in Brovary. 99 bags around 1 ton in weight. Clothes, shoes, bedding, medical, hygiene, food & baby items.

Wed 29th March

The charity met with management at Burford House Care Home & Westgate Healthcare, who are kindly offering to act as a Drop Off Point for that part of Chorleywood (North & East) regarding Bedding & Clothing donations. Burford House Care Home is located between the Gate Pub & Solesbridge Lane.

Fri 10th March

Waitrose Rickmansworth kindly donated £100 of food & other goods for shipment to Ukraine, from their charity funds.

Thu 9th March

Shipment No 11 has finally arrived in Brovary. 75 bags, around 1 ton, containing winter bedding, winter clothing (adults & children), winter footwear (adults & children), medical products, hygiene products (adults & babies). Shipment No 12 is in Tunbridge Wells awaiting onward shipment to Ukraine. Likely the last winter shipment this year, we think.

Wed 8th March

Our charity contact in Brovary, Anastasia Volodymyrivna, has been appointed a member of the coordinating council for volunteering at the Brovary Military Administration. The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, has written her a letter of thanks for her charity work.

Tue 7th March

We are acquiring some of the Ukraine National Bank’s commemorative banknotes, 20 Hryvnia, limited to 300,000, and entitled “WE WILL NOT FORGET! WE WILL NOT FORGIVE!”. “This banknote commemorates Ukraine’s struggle against the Russian invaders and celebrates the fortitude, resilience, indomitability, and heroism of Ukrainians… This is a war that’s been going on for us not for a year, not for a decade, but for centuries.” (Andriy Pyshnyy, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine). We will be selling these in Chorleywood UK, & Calgary, Canada, to raise further funds for CAFUKR.

Sat 18th February

Delivered another 99 bags (1,200 kgs) of aid to Ukraine Relief Group in Tunbridge Wells. Last weekend’s shipment is now in Lviv awaiting onward logistics to Brovary, near Kyiv. URG are now prioritising medical aid due to the increased casualties in the Ukraine military. Last weekend’s artic took 80 motorised hospital beds, electric wheelchairs, & many other medical supplies, rescued from 2 abandoned nursing homes on the South Coast ready for demolition. Due to further callups to fight, UA based delivery resources are also becoming harder. We are ending collecting winter aid now & are pausing collections, due to over 50 tons overall now in Kent awaiting shipment to Ukraine.

Tue 14th February

Purchased a car-load of food including tinned meat & fish, oats, tea, & biscuits.

Sun 12th February

Purchased a car-load of ladies hygiene products plus food including cup-a-soups & pasta.

Tue 7th February

Received confirmation of large-scale warehousing facilities confirmed for our charity colleagues in Brovary, by Brovary Regional Administration, near Kyiv. Our charity colleagues in Kent, Ukraine Relief Group, hope to send several 20-ton aid cargos before the end of March to include our aid plus, from them, considerable medical aid. Unloading, sorting & distribution coordination will be handled by From Dreams to Reality charitable foundation, Brovary, & their 50 volunteers.

Sun 5th February

Purchased a carload of baby nappies, baby wipes & baby food, as requested from the charity in Brovary. A food donation is also expected from Waitrose Rickmansworth.

Sat 4th February

Received 2nd van load from Sports Direct reseller of NEW clothing, this time warm winter jackets and winter footwear, for both adults & children. Planning 2 more sorting & packing sessions with local Ukraine ladies over the next 2 weeks. 

Sat 21st January

Dropped another 1,000 kgs of 73 bags of Chorleywood aid, at URG in Kent. Large lorry to Kyiv due in 2 weeks. Winter bedding & clothing as donated by local people & much appreciated. Plus purchased medicines & sanitary products as requested from our charity contacts in Brovary re items they cannot get there. Additionally, generously donated new winter clothing, especially winter jumpers & coats, from a Sports Direct reseller. TN2 in Kent now have more than a large lorry load so we intend another drop to them on Sat Feb 18th as we have more local winter bedding & clothing coming in, plus food donations from Waitrose Ricky & more clothing & footwear from the Sports Direct reseller. Much of the warm clothing has been desperately requested from Kherson in Southern Ukraine, & our charity in Brovary will deliver there. Boots will go East to the UA Army in Donbas. Thank you all, so much.

Mon 19th December

Our 2.5 tons of winter aid now being distributed in Ukraine. Fortunately many months back we started collecting warm winter clothes & bedding, a long time before we knew Putin would hit the power & heating grid. Our Chorleywood Aid is being well received right now.

Today we transferred £2,000 to our charity at the far end for around 80 gas cooking stoves. Plus £1,000 for around 30 warm winter sleeping bags.

Also today ordered £1,000 of requested medical supplies for our next shipment mid to late January which should reach the far end by mid-late February. As the Ukraine winter goes on to May we are still collecting winter clothes & warm bedding through to end of January 2023.

Thank you, Chorleywood.

Thu 23rd November

Lorry arrived Vorzel, near Kyiv after 4 days at Uzhhorod border for trans-ship cargo UK lorry to UA lorry, plus paperwork. Total charity aid 10 tons. Chorleywood aid 2.5 tons.

Sat 12th November

Delivered another 70 bags, or 1 ton, of aid to Ukraine Refuge Group at Tunbridge Wells. Mainly warm clothing, warm bedding, kitchenware, & sanitary products. It will depart Weds 16th November for UAG’s warehouse facility on Polish / Ukraine border. 40 tons lorry, driver and fuel, kindly donated this time by a Kent based moving company. 25 tons carrying capacity and carrying aid from charitable groups all over England and Scotland. Being a British lorry, it can’t get insurance to trave inside Ukraine. The UAG’s Irpin Warehouse Manager will arrange onward transport across Ukraine using a Kyiv based lorry.

Tue 25th Oct 2022

CAFUKR is being asked by FD2R to help fund newly arrived children who were left without parents, from the city of Bakhmut and the city of Mariupol. They currently live in Kyiv, in a boarding school. There are 55 children aged from 6 to 15 years. To be discussed at next Trustees meeting, imminently.

Sat 15th Oct 2022

Took 1.5 tons of aid from Chorleywood to Ukraine Relief Group at the TN2 Centre, Tunbridge Wells, to await 23 tons articulated lorry shipment early November, direct to Vorzel Military base 25 miles NW of Kyiv (secure warehouse). Shipment includes:

• Winter clothing, Warm bedding, Kitchenware (donated locally).

• Food, Hygiene, Medical (purchased with donated funds).

Local distribution will be arranged by CAFUKR after arrival at Vorzel.

Thank you very much to all donors of both goods and money.

Fri 14th Oct 2022

Aid provided by CAFUKR was distributed to Oleshnyan Lyceum, a school (named after Sofia Rusova of the Dobryan settlement council) in Oleshnya, Chernihiv Region, 125 miles NE of Kyiv. Our colleague Anastasia of From Dreams to Reality took a full van load and provided individual shoeboxes of treats for each of the children as well as food etc. Pictures and videos in our Gallery under Recipients.

Sat 1st Oct 2022

A convoy of 3 vehicles delivered Chorleywood aid to Izyum, 400 miles East of Kyiv & only relieved from 6 months of Russian occupation 2 weeks prior. Part of the convoy went on to Svyatogorsk to provide aid for 40 sheltered children in the basement of a monastery, while another vehicle brought back from Izyum a family needing medical help, to Kyiv.

Wed 21st Sept 2022

• Now received over £30,000 in donations. Thank you Chorleywood & surrounds.

• Next shipment expected to leave October 15th.

• Next shipment needing warm winter clothing and warm bedding.

• The charity can purchase in bulk other food & medical items.

• Thank you kindly for all the support.

Sat 17th Sept 2022

Our contact Yuliya in Brovary has started to receive the many bags of Chorleywood Aid & is incredibly grateful to all those who donated & helped get this to her charity foundation.

Thu 15th Sept 2022

Articulated lorry arrived Irpin, North of Kyiv, carrying 20 tons of aid from South-East including around 1 ton donated in and around Chorleywood & carefully packed & labelled & dropped off to Tunbridge Wells 3 weeks ago.

Wed 14th Sept 2022

Received a most welcome £9,500 from the Chorleywood Sunflower Ball held this summer at the Memorial Hall. Suzannah Landray writes: “The Sunflower Ball was a true community effort. Huge thanks to Chorleywood 4 Refugees, Trinity Swing, the DJ, & those who decorated the hall, donated sunflowers, lent tablecloths, organised the bar, stepped in as waiters, cleared the hall and washed-up huge quantities of glasses! Thanks too to the individuals and local businesses who donated fabulous auction prizes which raised substantial amounts of money, including time in their holiday homes, their time and professional skills, meals, hampers, flowers, spa days and so much more. Thanks too to the person who created the live auction document. Thanks too for all those who came along on the night and made the event such a success.”

Thu 1st Sept 2022
Official Co-op charity bank account opened this week, HMRC Gift Aid applied for, website under construction, business cards being printed, Just Giving being setup. Planning major fundraising drive for transport costs of goods to Ukraine, caught up in rising fuel costs. We need to help the desperate people there before winter sets in.

Tue 30th August 2022
Yuliya reports she has taken the zinc creams (sent by us) out to the villages where the mums send their deepest thanks as so needed for their children.

Fri 26th August 2022

Rolling out our website with considerable & dedicated help from Mike Stansfield of Chorleywood Residents Association. Also printing business cards for local distribution, registering for HMRC Gift Aid, & preparing a fundraising campaign to help the needy in Ukraine ahead of the approaching winter.

Thu 25th August 2022

Expecting official Co-op charity / community bank account any day now. Will enable formal HMRC Gift Aid application & gift aid can be back-dated 2 tax years. Also, about to pursue brand new website, business cards, and a September funding campaign to raise funds for the transport costs of goods to Ukraine, sadly caught up in rising fuel costs. We need to help out the desperate people out there before winter sets in.

Wed 24th August 2022

Just Giving page created by our pal Andy in Kyiv who is ex British Army & co-ordinates aid from UK to Ukraine Army and now helps our pal Yuliya supply the desperate villagers in the Brovary region. Purpose of page is to raise funds for the £3,200 artic shipments to his Irpin warehouse from Tunbridge Wells, which includes CAFUKR donated goods and we make a contribution towards shipping.

Sat 20th August 2022

Gary of Rickmansworth Vans helped us take a ¾ ton load of Chorleywood donated aid to the Ukraine Relief Group’s TN2 reception centre in Tunbridge Wells where they have massive space & many items for arriving Ukrainian visitors (ladies’ clothes / coats / shoes, pushchairs, children’s bikes, children’s toys etc). They also store outbound cargo for consolidated shipment on 23-ton artics to Kyiv. An amazing enthusiastic army of Ukraine Mum & child visitors formed a human chain & emptied our cargo in 20 mins! Quite unbelievable. So very keen to help their country.

Sat 6th August 2022

Yet another shipment ready outside 1A Shire Lane for Ukrainian couriers. Another no show & another workout carrying back up the steep staircase. Saddens me that the bag of beautiful barely used children’s Clark’s leather shoes for young girls sits in bags awaiting shipment while we raise further funds for shipping to Ukraine. Will one day put smiles on young girls faces & mums too!

Fri 5th August 2022

Yuliya received our 3rd direct shipment of valuable medicines, sanitary, & baby products. Our most expensive cargo so far (£1,500 value) & most valuable to the recipients who cannot get these items locally. Thank you so much Antoliy for dropping by Brovary with the cargo.

Tue 2nd August 2022

Antoliy collected our valuable shipment for Yuliya in Brovary. £1,000 of specifically requested medical aid sourced kindly by Hitesh at Parade Pharmacy, including Water Purification Tablets & specific medicines. Plus £500 of baby food, baby feeding bottles, and other tinned foods.

Sun 31st July 2022

Trying hard to organise our sorted & packed aid for imminent shipment in an almost full double garage in Chorleywood!

Sat 30th July 2022

Pierre received a painting from a 26-year-old man in one of Yuliya’s orphanages. A most beautiful painting of a tall ship with a lovely ocean. Very talented indeed and a very kind gesture.

Mon 25th July

Chair of Chorleywood Parish Council is aware our charity wishes to twin Chorleywood with Brovary, once hostilities are over. We would collect separately for any funding required to install 2 signs on the A404 and would also hope to setup exchange visits for children between Chorleywood and Brovary on an ongoing basis.

Thu 21st July 2022

Yuliya goes out to the previously occupied villages with Andy, the ex-British army star crusader in the area. He has 2 ambulances and provides aid to the Ukraine army from the UK or anywhere! He now helps our Yuliya.

Fri 15th July 2022

Large shipment organised outside 1A Shire Lane ready for courier who failed to show up. Not the first time & not the last! All had to be taken back upstairs, then downstairs & back out to our double garage storage facility!

Sat 9th July 2022

Shipment of bags & boxes all ready outside 1A Shire Lane for Ukrainian courier who failed to show.

Thu 7th July 2022

Chorleywood Aid for Ukraine is approved as a UK registered charity by the Charities Commission. Thank you, David, for your considerable efforts.

Thu 7th July 2022

Yuliya visited an Army base near Kyiv with aid.

Thu 30th June 2022

Pierre visits Ukrainian pub & restaurant in Feltham to see if they can help with further shipping.

Mon 27th June 2022

Yuliya delivers a TV & washing machine for the soldiers in Kyiv Military Hospital paid for by CAFUKR. Sadly, many are very badly injured, and doctors & nurses are extremely stretched to handle the situation. CAFUKR are sending loads of mens underwear and t-shirts donated by generous locals.

Mon May 30th 2022

Yuliya distributes blankets to the villagers around Brovary returning to their Russian occupied / shelled homes, financed by CAFUKR. £200 bought bedding for 50 villagers.

Fri Apr 22nd

Reliable Antoliy delivers our car shipment in person from Chorleywood to Yuliya’s office in Brovary. Thank you so much Antoliy.

Fri Apr 15th

We pack a shipment for Brovary to be delivered by car, including medical and food donated by Waitrose Rickmansworth, which included 3 dozen Easter bunnies, pink & blue, for the orphans.

Tue Mar 15th 2022

Pierre takes 3rd car-load of aid to Ukraine forwarding centre in Feltham near Heathrow.

Sun Mar 6th 2022

Tais and Pierre take 2 car-loads of aid to the Ukraine forwarding centre in Feltham.

Thu Mar 3rd 2022

Antoliy loads his car in the Chorleywood car park to take a 1st load of aid to Ukraine for Yuliya, mainly purchased by Taisiia & her Ukraine & Russian pals at Costco in Watford.

Wed Mar 2nd 2022

Pierre emails 2,000 local Chorleywood computer clients requesting aid for Ukraine.

Tue Mar 1st 2022

Pierre emails all businesses in Chorleywood appealing for charitable help. Also delivers handwritten letter.

Fri Feb 25th

Staff at Andrew Fleming Florist raise £200 in support of the invasion of their colleague Tais’ country.

Thu Feb 24th 2022

Moscow launches an all out attack on Ukraine on both northern & eastern fronts using light armour, paratroopers, special forces, artillery, & airborne.