Supporting Ukraine in their hour of need; Lord Mayor of Coventry to stage a charity fundraising concert for the people of Ukraine
John McNicholas, Lord Mayor of Coventry. Credit: Coventry City Council
Coventry’s Lord Mayor has announced he will stage a fundraising concert for the people of Ukraine. The concert will be held at the Albany Theatre on 11 April and will feature a diversity of acts from across the city in the aim of raising vital funds to support Ukraine.
John McNicholas, Lord Mayor of Coventry, said: ‘As a city we have pledged to do all we can to show our support, and this concert will go towards buying vital supplies to help the people of Ukraine in their hour of need.’
The line-up for the fundraiser has not yet been released, but it has been confirmed that the Ukrainian, ‘Verkhovjna’, a male voice choir, will perform at the concert, and the Ukrainian national anthem will be played too.
The Lord Mayor said: ‘As a city we have pledged to do all we can to show our support, and this concert will go towards buying vital supplies to help the people of Ukraine in their hour of need.’
President Vladimir Putin launched his attack on Ukraine over a month ago with the aims of overrunning the country and disposing its government - consequently ending Ukraine’s desire to join the Western defensive alliance, NATO.
In an early announcement, Putin stated he aimed to take over the country in 48 hours, but 33 days later, the cities capital, Kyiv, is still standing and Ukrainian defences are not backing down.
However, Ukrainian civilians are being forced to leave their homes and flee to surrounding countries for safety while others have chosen to remain in their homes.
As of now, there is reported to be 977 civilian deaths and 1,594 injuries.
People across the world have been getting involved in alternative ways to raise money and share their support with those in Ukraine.
One method that has risen through the social media platform, TikTok, is booking a night or a longer stay at an Airbnb in Ukraine and leaving in the message box that they do not require the property but want to donate the money to help in any way they can.
An Instagram user to shared this message saying: ‘Yesterday I shared an idea to support Ukraine by booking rooms for rent on Airbnb. 24 hours later, 100’s of people are booking AIRBNBs in Ukraine as a way to send immediate monetary assistance to people in hard-hit areas.’
People have used AirBNB as a way of sending immediate money to Ukraine Credit: queentin.quarantino
Other official organisations around the UK are also stepping up to support Ukraine, with foundations such as Save the Children, Sunflower of Peace and UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF offering a variety of support.
The UK government have also matched the public’s donations of £25 million to Ukraine, as well as introducing a new sponsorship scheme which allows people within the UK to pair up with those who do not have family connections in the country.