Ukraine crisis: Pavilion lit up, vigil planned at Hove church and the local charities you can support in Brighton and Hove

A peace vigil has been planned in Hove on Sunday (March 6) honouring those caught up in the Ukraine crisis.

The vigil, which will take place between 8pm and 9pm at Hove Methodist Church, in Portland Road, has been organised by the Brighton & Hove Interfaith Contact Group. Everyone is welcome, for all or part of the hour, and although face coverings are not mandatory people are advised to bring their own if they wish.

The announcement of the vigil comes as Brighton and Hove City Council shared details of some of the local and international charities people can support if they wish to help people fleeing the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Leader of the council, councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the military aggression against Ukraine. Thank you to everyone who has been in touch with their kind and touching offers of support - I am being reminded why our residents have hearts of gold.

“We strongly encourage residents to play their part in alleviating this humanitarian crisis on many levels. Some of these are detailed here and we will update our guidance when we receive relevant updates from government."

Brighton's Royal Pavilion showed its support for Ukraine when it was lit up in yellow and blue last night (Tuesday, March 1). The Pavilion lights will be switched on every night around dusk for the next six nights up to and including Monday. On Twitter, the Brighton Museums account said: "The Royal Pavilion and the whole of Brighton is #StandingWithUkraine #StopTheWarInUkraine."

Caring individuals have also been keen to help with many collecting items to send over to Ukraine. Nine-year-old Amelie Brown has already raised more than £3,000 after organising a sponsored bike ride with some of her classmates at Brighton Velodrome. Read more here: 'They looked so scared' says Brighton girl fundraising for Ukrainian children

The council said there are a number of local charities providing direct support to new arrivals in the city from many countries affected by war, such as Voices in Exile, Refugee Radio, Thousand41000, and the Hummingbird Project.

You can find out about other groups supporting refugees in Brighton & Hove and further afield through the local City of Sanctuary group, Sanctuary on Sea, the council said.

National and international charities have also launched appeals, including The British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal to support the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross to fund food, water, first aid, medicines, warm clothes and shelter. The UNHCR refugee agency is collecting monetary donations for humanitarian assistance, emergency shelter and relief items like blankets. It will also fund psychological support for refugees.

The UN's children's charity, UNICEF, is accepting donations to help ensure child health and protection services are sustained and families have clean water and food. The Association of Ukrainians in GB has also sent up an emergency appeal.

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Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty added: “We are proud of our history of providing a welcome to refugees. We stand ready to offer our support and will work with the city’s excellent community and voluntary sector organisations on how we continue to offer asylum to people fleeing war and increasingly the effects of climate change.

“We are lobbying the government to provide asylum to Ukrainian nationals and share the despair that is felt across the nation that they have yet to do so. However, the war in Ukraine is another sharp reminder that the asylum system in this country is broken.

“We desperately need a compassionate national response to people - Ukrainian, as much as Iranian, Yemeni, Eritrean and Syrian - fleeing indescribable pain and suffering.

“Likewise, we do not - and will never - tolerate hate towards any of our vibrant and diverse communities, no matter what’s happening elsewhere. We take the safety and inclusion of all our communities seriously. All communities are welcome and all belong.”

Reporting hate incidents and anti-social behaviour

Anyone who has experienced hate incidents or anti-social behaviour, including harassment, should report it. Contact the council's community safety team online here: Report anti-social behaviour or a hate incident in your neighbourhood (brighton-hove.gov.uk) or by email [email protected] or by calling 01273 292 735. In an emergency, always call the police on 999.

You can also report hate incidents to Sussex Police or call them on 101 if it’s not an emergency.

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