Shoppers at Priory Meadow in Hastings raise hundreds of pounds for Ukraine appeal

The first fundraiser, a sunflower colouring activity for young shoppers, raised £53.90 for the chosen charity. Children got imaginative and coloured sunflower print outs at the pop-up craft station in the mall. The decorated paper sunflowers have now been displayed in a window within Priory Meadow, next to Divine Beauty, to show support for Ukraine.

Last Thursday saw 200 real sunflowers handed out to shoppers by centre management staff, in exchange for a charity donation. An incredible £305.56 was raised in just a matter of hours.

Andy Harvey, Centre Manager, said: “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our shoppers, for people to give to others in the current climate, whether it was £1 or £20, is remarkably kind.

“We would also like to thank La Collina Gardens Florist in St Leonards for fulfilling our large sunflower order at cost price, and Marks and Spencer Hastings for lending us their flower display units for the event”.

So far, Red Cross teams in Ukraine have helped more than 750,000 people since the conflict began. This includes distributing 400 tonnes of vital aid, including food, blankets, hygiene parcels and warm clothes. First aid training has also been delivered to over 42,000 people so they have the skills to treat their loved ones if needed.

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