Campaign Update (26 April 2022): we've just donated £11,750 to ZSR for the purchase of medical supplies! Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/2p876nm8

URGENT APPEAL

11 March 2022

Gerrards Cross Community Action Network (GX-CAN) is today launching an urgent appeal to support victims of the war in Ukraine.

Our initial aim is to raise £40,000 to fund the purchase of an ambulance and vital medical supplies for Polish medical charity, Integrated Rescue Service (Zintegrowana Sluzba Ratownicza or ZSR).

ZSR are currently working around the clock to deliver medical supplies into Ukraine and to safely evacuate patients and war casualties to hospitals in Poland. They are currently prioritising the transportation and relocation of child cancer patients.

ZSR have identified the purchase of an ambulance as their most urgent need and have asked for our help. With the funds raised here, we hope to purchase and deliver that ambulance to ZSR within the next few weeks.

Please help us make that happen by giving generously today.

Thank you for your support.

P.S. please help us maximise the impact of this appeal by sharing it with a friend! And if you have a fundraising idea to help us reach our target, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us on our FB page (details below).

We know you may have a few questions, so here’s some further information about us and the appeal:

Who are we?

Gerrards Cross Community Action Network (GX-CAN) is an informal network of 100+ volunteers working together to support those in our local community and beyond. We were originally founded as the GX-COVID 19 Support Group, working to help clinically vulnerable and isolating individuals during the pandemic. We have recently updated our name to reflect our shifting priorities. Our previous work has been recognised and endorsed by the Gerrards Cross Town Council.

For this initiative we have partnered with Films4Humanity (F4H), a group of three local assistant directors currently working to provide humanitarian relief on the Poland/Ukraine border. F4H are responsible for connecting us with ZSR and have kindly been acting as our “eyes and ears” on the ground.

Our appeal is being administered by a small group of key coordinators including Bob Ghataaura and Richard Gowing.

How will funds be spent?

Approximately £26k will be put towards the purchase of an ambulance from a vehicle dealer in Poland. The remaining funds will be put towards the purchase of medical supplies, as ZSR request.

If we do not meet the target for the ambulance, we will use the funds we have raised to purchase medical supplies in consultation with ZSR.

We have minimal overheads and where these do arise (leafleting etc) they will be met from the pocket of our generous core members. That means 100% of the funds raised through this appeal will go towards the ambulance, it’s delivery to ZSR, and the medical supplies.

In the event of the situation in Ukraine or ZSR priorities changing, or if there are surplus funds, these will be donated directly to ZSR or an equivalent registered charity carrying out humanitarian work in Ukraine.

How will funds be administered?

Funds received will go into a dedicated bank account held in the name of our coordinator Bob Ghataaura. That account will then be used to purchase goods for ZSR.

We are committed to full transparency and will be regularly publishing our bank account statements to our FB page (with all personal and donation information redacted, of course). This is to give our donors full peace of mind about how their funds are being used.

Who are ZSR?

ZSR or Zintegrowana Sluzba Ratownicza are a Polish registered medical charity located near Jawiszowice in Southern Poland.

You can find out more about the work they do on their website:

In Polish: https://zsr112.pl

In English (Google Translate): https://zsr112-pl.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Regular updates from ZSR can be found on their Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/zsr.112/

Their organisation registration details are as follows: Krajowy Rejestr Sadowy: 0000696941 / NIP: 5492448676 / REGON: 368382054

Contact: +48 666 112 695

Where can I find updates about the appeal?

We will be posting updates about the appeal on the GX-CAN Facebook page (coming soon) at: https://.facebook.com/gxcan

How else can I help?

In order to meet our ambitious target, we will need all the help we can get. Whether it’s an office bake sale or a sponsored challenge, if you’ve got a fundraising idea for us, please drop us a line and let us know! Thank you.