Town council creates £25,000 fund to help victim of Ukraine invasion

The money, which was unanimously agreed by councillors at a meeting of Shrewsbury Town Council on Monday evening, will go to local initiatives providing aid as well as preparations to welcome any Ukrainian refugees who may arrive.

Councillor Alan Mosley, Labour leader of the town council, proposed setting up the fund and asked members to endorse a pledge from the town council to do all it can to help.

The statement was jointly prepared by Councillor Mosley and fellow group leaders David Vasmer of the Liberal Democrats, Alex Phillips of the Conservatives and mayor Julian Dean from the Green Party.

It read: “Like many local and regional authorities across Europe, we strongly condemn the ongoing, multiple attacks on the sovereign territory of Ukraine.

“On behalf of the residents of Shrewsbury we send our full support and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and to our peers in local and regional government.

“We deplore the catastrophe we see unfolding as the values of humanity, freedom and democracy that we all hold so dear are viciously attacked by the Russian Federation.

“The escalation of violence, repeated bombings and attacks on Ukrainian cities and territories targeting vulnerable people are a serious threat to the preservation of peace and democracy in our society.

“Locally, the town council will support local community groups and organisations here in Shrewsbury who are coordinating collections and deliveries to Ukraine and its neighbouring countries to support the people within Ukraine.

“We will also actively play our part in supporting any Ukrainians who find themselves seeking refuge in the United Kingdom and ultimately Shropshire and Shrewsbury.

“We are fortunate in Shrewsbury to have such caring organisations who have made Shropshire a safe and caring haven for refugees and we will continue to support them however possible.

“We are pledged to provide help however possible be it financial or through the use of our councillors, staff and assets.

“We will also seek to raise awareness and support for Ukraine through our media and networks to maintain that collective global pressure.”

Before any of the £25,000 can be given out, a policy on how it will be distributed will be drawn up by the town council’s finance and general purposes committee.

The council’s City of Sanctuary working group, which was formed last year to explore how the town can best support refugees who settle there, will also meet to discuss how the money would best be spent.

Town clerk Helen Ball said she had discussed the fund with Kate Fejfer, from the group organising local collections, as well as Shropshire Supports Refugees and Shrewsbury resident Oksana Chapman, who hails from Ukraine and has spoken publicly about the need to support those affected by the crisis.

Ms Ball said: “We’ve discussed the financial implications and the fact that we can support what happens in the community here but we can’t send the money straight over to Ukraine, and they understand that.

“They’re dealing with the here and now, but they’re starting to look at that broader picture of what they’re going to do if we get to the stage of welcoming refugees.

“Equally they want to do some work around the fact that there are resident Russians and Ukrainians that live in Shrewsbury and they are equally devastated by what’s happening in Ukraine, and they want to support those as well.”

Councillors unanimously voted in favour of setting up the fund and endorsing the town council’s pledge of support.

Councillor Vasmer said: “Terrible though the events in Ukraine are, what’s been really heart-warming has been the response of the local community here in Shrewsbury.

“I want to make sure we publicise the fund we are setting up to make sure this money is used wisely and is used to help all the efforts that have been made locally.”