We are a team fundraising for the Ukrainian people affected by the Russian conflict since 2022. The RCUCRC is the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Running Club, the RCUCRC, and all donations to our fundraising channels go straight to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

On 03-Jun, three RCUCRC runners will set out to attempt an 'Eight City Marathon' running just over 5k in each city. Starting at 0500hrs in Sheffield UK, their planned journey is onwards to Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Doncaster, returning to Sheffield before midnight.

How much have we raised? Our fundraiser passed £16,000 after the London Marathon in Apr-2026. We are targeting £20,000 by the end of 2026 and need your help! If you would like to donate, please click the big red ‘Give Now’ button and choose the team member you would like to support - thank you very much! Whatever you can spare, or maybe even the price of a meal, that would be a small sacrifice compared to the hardship and tragedy experienced by the people of Ukraine.

Is help still needed? Yes, the Ukrainian Red Cross is constantly working. Fear, anger and worry across Ukraine right now are about the continuing conflict, as missile and drone attacks have hit record levels every year, and there is no sign of the conflict ending soon. When peace does come, funds will be needed for repatriation and rebuilding, and what future will there be with so many casualties and young people abroad who may not come home?

Why? Your help is needed now as Ukraine tries to recover from the severe winter and the power outages after attacks on power stations. Temperatures fell to -20°C (Zero °F), and millions of properties were without power for 20 hours a day. Power outages are still a major concern, whilst offensive tactics against Kyiv and the wider Ukraine have evolved into a relentless, high-volume air campaign designed to exhaust air defences, target infrastructure including water supply, and terrorise the civilian population.

How bad is it? Serious injuries and loss of civilian lives are a daily occurrence. During the winter, Ukrainians spent most of the day without heat and light as power stations were targeted yet again. At times, surviving without power for 24 hours was impossible. For those with gas, people tried to keep warm using their gas stove, and others brought portable gas stoves into their apartments.

Getting sleep or shelter? This torture continues. Ukrainians have a stark choice; stay at home and hope to stay safe behind two walls with a chance of getting some sleep, or seek shelter. Some people sleep in cars in underground car parks. Others go to shelters, two or three times a night, which means little or no sleep. For people in high-rise apartments, going to shelters can be impossible. Lifts are rarely working, and people must use the stairs for fear of getting trapped in a lift if the power fails. Elderly people and families with young children choose not to go to shelters, as they cannot use the stairs. Whilst two walls at home can protect against drones, hypersonic missiles can destroy entire buildings, and there is not enough time to escape to shelters when the air raid warning sounds. So, people often end up not sleeping at all, which is a living nightmare.

How are the British and Ukrainian Red Cross helping? Humanitarian aid is still needed after the winter of 2025/26 and will be, long after the conflict is over. The British Red Cross and its Ukrainian partner are continually active, with hundreds of volunteers from Ukraine and the UK. They still need our help now more than in the beginning, and help will still be needed beyond peace. The Red Cross provided relief for the tens of millions of people in Ukraine who have fled their homes and have lost loved ones, by donating food, water, shelter, and generators for heat and power.

Would you like to donate and join the RCUCRC fundraising team? Why not join the RCUCRC fundraiser and help the people of Ukraine by doing something special in 2026? You can donate on this page by clicking the big red button. If you want to join the team, we will help you create your own RCUCRC fundraising page and be part of the team’s challenge to take us towards our £20,000 target. To be an “RCUCRC Entry Fundraiser”, if you can raise £10 or more, we need you on the team! If you are joining the RCUCRC and entering an official British Red Cross Event, such as The Great North Run, the London Marathon and other similar events, there is a fee and a minimum target.

Where does the RCUCRC run? The RCUCRC has run dozens of events in the UK and overseas. In 2024 and 2025, we entered a team in the Great North Run, the largest run in the UK, with 60,000 runners. We are entering a team again in September, and we still have places available (as of May-2026) if you would like to join us and help with the fundraiser? If you have another event or a challenge in mind, that would be great. See details below, and get in touch!

How can you fundraise? Your fundraiser could be one event, or your goal could be a distance target, for example, 100km or whatever you think, to suit your timeline? Maybe 500km or 1,000km this year, where your running app data so far counts towards your goal. Of course, you don’t have to run. We recently recruited a fundraiser who is organising a charity football game for the RCUCRC and Ukraine. So, if you are a cyclist or a swimmer, with a challenge in mind, or even if you want to bake some cakes and organise a coffee morning, we want to hear from you, please! For help, contact us at justgivingstory2026@rcucrc.org.uk.

Can you join our friendly runs and not fundraise? Yes, of course, join the RCUCRC at www.strava.com/clubs/rcucrc where you will receive invitations to our runs. We host #Virtual or #InPerson runs on Tuesdays for all abilities and Sundays for those looking to complete 10k, half or full marathons. We also visit parkruns on Saturdays. The RCUCRC has over 1,100 members worldwide. As a club, we run around the world every 14 days, so if you are not running with us already, please join and add your running distance to our cause.

So, how did the RCUCRC start? When conflict began in Feb-2022, our founder, Pierre Laubscher ran for the Ukrainian Red Cross in the Sheffield Half Marathon in Mar-2022. As the conflict did not end, Pierre just carried on. He met many Ukrainians on his fundraising journey, and one family has moved home 16 times, and it has been a far more moving experience than he imagined. Pierre set up the RCUCRC in 2023 to get more support, and his challenge became a distance target. Pierre passed 7,000km in Feb-2026 on the fourth anniversary of the conflict, and he has pledged to run 12,000km. Please follow this link to Pierre's story and for information about how your donations will help the people of Ukraine https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/plaubscher-2022.

Thank you and best wishes,

The RCUCRC Team

for and on behalf of

The British Red Cross and the Ukrainian Red Cross

RCUCRC is supporting the British Red Cross and Ukrainian Red Cross charities through the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal