PHILIP CASE
Sherborne boys launch fundraiser for children of Ukraine
Fundraising for CCLL - The Helping Hand for Ukraine
Story
Young footballers from Basingstoke have launched a fundraising campaign to raise money for children in Ukraine whose lives have been torn apart by Russia’s invasion.
To show their support for children in Ukraine, boys from Sherborne St John FC Saints U9s team donned white t-shirts with the Ukrainian flag and the simple message, “STOP WAR” for their home game against Andover Town on Sunday, 27th February.
Manager Mindaugas Kuodys, known as “Minde” (pronounced “Mindy”) came up with the idea after seeing the suffering of families fleeing Vladimir Putin’s bombs – and he decided the team had to do something.
Minde asked the boys to arrive early for Sunday’s game and they discussed the symbolism of the t-shirts and the reasons behind their show of solidarity for Ukrainian families suffering in the conflict.
In an entertaining match, the Sherborne team beat a strong Andover Town team 5-2. But Minde said the result felt totally irrelevant given the conflict in Ukraine. He thanked all the Saints’ parents for their help buying the materials for the t-shirts and flag and said none of it would have been possible without their help.
Minde and the boys have urged the public to “dig deep” and help raise as much money as possible for such a great cause.
* The Sherborne boys have launched the online fundraiser to raise money for Chernobyl Children's Lifeline, a UK-based charity which is working to raise funds for families still suffering from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 and for the present crisis in Ukraine following Russia's military invasion.