[The audience waiting to go into Bath Abbey. All photos Tiffany Aupic]
Good to hear that Bath Abbey was packed for Friday’s concert in aid of funding generators for war-torn Ukraine.
One of my regulars – Marion McNeir – was one of the organisers and sent me this report:
It was a sell out and a huge success – very moving – most of the audience in tears – and not just the Ukrainians.
We made a wonderful profit just from ticket sales and on the door donations of nearly £15,000 which will buy one of the huge generators for the hospital in Oleksandriya.
We expect more to come from further donations which we hope will fund 2 more big generators.
We had guests from the Ukrainian Embassy who were overwhelmed by the generosity and empathy of the people of Bath.
In his speech after the concert Vitalii Borovko, the senior Embassy official ,said how moved he had been by the concert and also to see the magnificent Bath Abbey full to bursting with Bath residents , often those who have offered shelter to fleeing Ukrainian families and their guests.
Nicole Medin, the young 20 year old student from Trowbridge whose vision the whole performance was, stunned the audience with her hauntingly beautiful voice. Her Ukrainian family were there to support her ,bursting with pride at their daughter’s moving performance which touched all our hearts.
Nicole was ably supported by local musicians including the Voices For Life Childrens’ Choir, Canzona and the Trowbridge Philharmonic Choir.
I am happy to praise the initiative of B&NES council, and the personal support of Cllr Kevin Guy, and the talented and hardworking team which had put this wonderful concert together since last December.
My thanks also to the producer, Ukrainian born Zhenya Shkil – who put her heart and soul into making the concert such a success – and also to Bath Abbey and the Pump Room staff for all their support.”
Meanwhile, in a recent radio interview, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, thanked the country for its support and singled out Bath for its efforts.
Ambassador Prystaiko was quoted as saying:
“Efforts are already going on all across the UK to help Ukraine, but Ambassador Prystaiko says Bath’s is among the most “practical”.
“To realise that the immediate need is the generators, the medical supplies, simple, simple stuff needed to help people in need, and to not call somebody in London and bang on the government’s doors, but actually taking the initiative by yourself, that (is) what makes the Bath initiative so different from the rest,” he said.
I hear around 65 thousand pounds has been raised in B&NES so far. If anyone would like to donate to the appeal, they can go to https://gofund.me/0aeb44d8
For further info :
www.generatorsforukraine.co.uk
