Helping Our Ukrainian Friends

Since February 2022, Helping Our Friends from Ukraine (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 evolved into a powerful grassroots network delivering hope, aid, and friendship to our Ukraine friends 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 dedicated teams in the UK, Poland, and Ukraine have provided 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 been sent to bring comfort to children from Ukraine 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 dispatched 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 friends in Ukraine and supporters 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 ongoing support of our generous donors and partners such as Princebuild, we’re committed to maintaining this vital lifeline for our friends from Ukraine. The road ahead remains long, but together, we will continue to deliver 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 our friends from Ukraine, to those who collect, pack, and drive the vans. There are many ways you can get involved and make a difference for our friends in Ukraine.

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 about helping our friends.

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 and supports our friends in need. 

Thank you. 💙💛

Read more about our work with Houf and our commitment to Ukraine friends here.

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

Through our Ukrainian partners, we are committed to helping our friends in Ukraine by delivering essential supplies, supporting widowed families, and running Summer Camps that provide children and mothers the time they need 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, and we thank Houf for standing by us in this mission.