CAROLINE ANSELL MP: Generous Eastbourne response to Ukraine crisis

Anger at what Putin and Russia have done and continues to do is growing by the hour for this pariah state. The response from Eastbourne and Willingdon to those images has been characteristically generous and I thank everyone who has raised money or donated supplies.

But a humanitarian crisis in Europe, many never thought could not happen, is upon us.

I have met with some of the wonderful local people who are helping Ukraine in Eastbourne over the last few days.

One was a visit to the Polish Delicatessen Eastbourne in Seaside. I was delighted to meet Michelle, who has been at the heart of community efforts to send over supplies to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees. She has been very moved by the generosity of local people.

That same generosity was seen at the weekend’s Ukraine solidarity rally in Eastbourne, where I spoke, and where local people donated several hundred pounds in just a very short space of time - enough money to buy emergency food for 28 days for 14 families through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) portal. Please do donate through DEC if you can, it is the most effective way to provide sustenance at pace and at scale.

That very same morning we had seen televised images of very poorly children being evacuated from a hospital under attack. I asked the Foreign Secretary on my return to Parliament what medical support we were providing to give little ones like these a chance. I was pleased to learn they are being brought out of the country to continue treatment.

President Zelensky addressed Parliament live on Wednesday; his fortitude is extraordinary. I fear this tragedy has many months left to go. But I do know the people of Eastbourne and Willingdon will continue to help, support and stand by Ukraine, and the sponsorship route will open up imminently.

I joined the consumer rights organisation Which? to hear about its campaign to include tackling scam ads in the forthcoming Online Safety Bill. Online fraud has become a major problem and the pandemic has seemingly made it much worse.

And this week, with perfect timing, the Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the Government would do just that.

Too many people are the victims of scams and this is a win in the fight against online fraud.

Parliament also offered up the opportunity to speak with leading consultants working on fantastic developments in the fields of transplant and blood transfusion work when I joined the British Heart Foundation to celebrate 60 years of its life saving work. I got to raise questions about advances in treatments which is especially significant right now in light of proposed changes to local cardiology services.

Thank you to all those who have spoken with me on these changes whose experiences have inspired and underpin my own contribution to the hospital trust’s consultation.