HELPING OUR UKRAINIAN FRIENDS

Since February 2022, Helping Our Ukrainian Friends (HOUF) has been working with communities across Britain, Poland, and Ukraine to support families and volunteers affected by Russia’s invasion. What began as friendships forged through football has become a powerful grassroots network delivering hope, aid, and friendship where it’s needed most.

By June 2025, HOUF had completed 24 major projects — including our fourth Summer Camp for Ukrainian war widows and their children, and our 20th humanitarian aid delivery. Our teams in the UK, Poland, and Ukraine have delivered over 100 tonnes of essential supplies, seven 4×4 vehicles, and thousands of items such as medical equipment, heart valves, wheelchairs, generators, food, and clothing. More than 2,000 Christmas and Easter Gift Boxes have brought comfort to Ukrainian children since the war began.

So far in 2025 alone, we’ve:

• Raised £75,000, bringing our total since 2022 to over £410,000.
• Donated £18,000 and sent five UK volunteers to help run the Summer Camp in Poland for 28 widows and 53 children.
• Delivered 6 tonnes of aid in our 20th convoy, coordinated with partners in Kyiv and Dnipro.
• Funded partner charities including From Person to Person, Cross Charity, Sustain Ukraine, Pastor Aleksander, and HUGS in Kharkiv — supporting projects from frontline kitchens to children’s rehabilitation and PTSD recovery.

HOUF is a completely volunteer-run community, uniting people from Sheffield, Dronfield, Peterborough, Stamford, Surrey, Gliwice, Rivne, Odesa, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, and Kyiv. Every pound raised goes directly to humanitarian work and aid delivery.

With the continued help of supporters, donors, and partners such as Princebuild, we’re committed to maintaining this lifeline of support. The road ahead remains long, but together, we will keep delivering compassion, courage, and care to those who need it most.

Every delivery we make to Ukraine is powered by kindness — from the people who donate, to those who collect, pack, and drive the vans. There are lots of ways you can get involved and make a difference.

You can help by:

• Donating funds to support our next aid delivery.
• Setting up or supporting a local collection point for essential items.
• Sharing our updates and campaigns to raise awareness.

Every item and every pound goes directly to people in need — and all deliveries are made by our volunteer team, with photos and updates shared from Ukraine.

👉 You can donate at JustGiving here 

If you’d like to be more involved or help with local collections, please contact:
Richard Astle (Peterborough & East Midlands)
Tony Bovill (Sheffield & Dronfield)

Your support helps us keep the vans rolling and hope alive for families across Ukraine. 

Thank you. 💙💛

Read more about our work here

Across Ukraine, we’re privileged to work alongside some of the most dedicated and courageous people imaginable — volunteers who bring aid, comfort, and hope to families in need, including those living close to the front lines.

Through our Ukrainian partners, we help deliver essential supplies, support widowed families, and run Summer Camps that give children and mothers time to heal and rebuild.

This vital work is made possible by our incredible supporters in the UK — individuals, community groups, and companies who give their time, energy, and funds to keep this lifeline open. We are deeply grateful for every act of kindness that helps our friends in Ukraine.