The community at St Peter’s Church in Sheringham has helped to raise enough money to buy three generators for Ukraine – after aiming to raise enough for one.
Supporting Ukraine has become a pivotal element of the church’s mission since February 2022. Each year they hold a service to mark the anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine, commemorating the tragic scale of loss and showing solidarity with those affected by the war.
Along with the service, community donation drives have become part of the mission.
Revd Iain Grant is the Assistant Curate at St Peter’s Church in Sheringham,
“We set out to raise £500 to pay for a single generator, but thanks to the generosity of people in North Norfolk (and some donations from across the country), we raised just over £2,500. This meant we could not only purchase 3 generators but also pay a considerable sum to help cover the costs of North Norfolk Aid for Ukraine’s most recent aid trip.
Last Friday, I helped load three vans of aid, which included 12 generators (3 of which were bought with funds raised at St Peter’s), large numbers of stretchers, medical aid, syringes, rescue and firefighting equipment, crutches, wheelchairs and food. The vans, aid, and volunteers were then blessed, using blessed icons of St Olga of Kyiv and the Archangel Michael, who is the patron saint of the city of Kyiv. (Small icons are JUST visible in a couple of photos!) The vans then took the long journey from Norfolk all the way to Berlin to hand everything over to Berlin to Borders who will get things into Ukraine itself.
Some of the life-saving equipment is on its way to the front lines; other pieces are heading for civilian areas to support ongoing relief and aid efforts there. The generators are a huge support at the moment, and I’m glad to say we were able to purchase exactly the ones that the people of Ukraine need most at this time. We’re continuing to support efforts in Ukraine and are committed to doing so for as long as needed – in both times of war and rebuilding when the peace we all pray for finally comes.”
Thank you to all who have donated to this particular cause.
Image 1: North Norfolk Aid for Ukraine volunteers and Berlin to Borders volunteers with power generators (3 from St Peter’s)
Image 2: Generators and other equipment being loaded in Norfolk
