In a show of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, WCFC & The Supporters Trust recently hosted several Ukrainian guests who were now living locally but still had family and friends living in the city of Kharkiv, based in the north of Ukraine.
If that name sounds familiar it is because Kharkiv is currently besieged by hostile Russian forces and remains constantly in the western news reels, as it is being bombed on a daily basis.
The plight of the residents of that city is harsh and one that most of us living here cannot possibly imagine, and having been contacted by a local Ukrainian mum, Maria Koval, the WCFC & ST were moved by her plea for help and rallied to support her as best we could.
Firstly, we extended an invite to Maria and her family and Ukrainian friends who were also living locally to attend as our guests for the match against Racing Club Warwick FC. We also invited her two young children Toby & Elizabeth to join our match day mascots, Droitwich Spa FC U11s Vikings.
In addition, our match day kit and programme cover page reflected the national colours of Ukraine.
As the youngsters took to being entertained with a club tour and football session, in between watching the match, Maria and her friends set about collecting much needed cash in order to buy essential foods and health products to ship back to desperate folk who were struggling to cope with limited supplies.
Club Chairman, Steve Goode kicked off the collection with a £100 donation from the Club and the City supporters responded in kind to help swell the sum to a fantastic £667.00 on the day. Further collections are scheduled for our remaining two home games against Wolverhampton Casuals FC and then Uttoxeter Town FC as we bid to increase the coffers past the £1000 mark!
Of the day, Maria said, ‘It is wonderful to see and feel the generosity and good will of this club and it’s supporters. This money will go a long way in helping to ease the suffering back home. A big thank you must go to Steve and the Club and Trust for welcoming my family and friends to the match, and for allowing us to raise this wonderful sum. A huge thank you also to the City supporters and in particular to Droitwich Spa Vikings who made my children feel so welcome and a part of their mascot experience.’
Our feature photo shows the match day mascots from Droitwich Spa FC U11s Vikings lining up ahead of the match with our Ukrainian guests (Teddy & Elizabeth) at the fore… photo courtesy of DSFC Vikings.