Members of Senedd, Mick Antoniw and Alun Davies of the Welsh Assembly (MS) for Pontypridd and Blaenau Gwent, visited our Cardiff headquarters on Thursday 16th February ahead of their journey to deliver essential emergency supplies to the frontline in Ukraine.
The Assembly Members met with Alcumus CEO Alyn Franklin and the team to collect donations that will help people affected by the conflict.
It’s now been almost 12 months since the crisis in Ukraine escalated, with devastating loss of life and continuing destruction to homes, schools, utility supplies and hospitals.
During the visit, the Ministers spoke of the thousands of displaced families and millions of people in the country who have no safe place to call home as a result of the severe damage to its infrastructure, which has left people without essential clean water, food or electricity.
This is the second visit to Ukraine by the Senedd Members following an earlier visit in December 2022. Mick Antoniw and Alun Davies will deliver critical supplies including ration packs, generators and emergency first-aid supplies. Funds have once again been generated by a Senedd cross-party fundraising effort and has benefitted from a significant donation from Alcumus.
Speaking about the much-needed assistance to those in Ukraine, Mick Antoniw MS said: “The support for Ukraine from people across Wales continues to be truly magnificent and I know from front-line contacts I have in Ukraine, just how necessary and how greatly appreciated this aid is. I am grateful to all those individuals, trade unions and businesses who continue to support Ukraine. I am particularly grateful to everyone at Alcumus, which is based in my constituency, for their generous support.”
Alun Davies MS added: “A year after Putin’s invasion the people of Wales continue to stand with the people of Ukraine. The unity we have seen across all parties in the Senedd reflect the deep and enduring support from communities across Wales. We will continue to build links between Wales and Ukraine and we will continue to deliver aid directly to the people of Ukraine until Putin’s brutality is finally defeated.”
Alyn Franklin said: “Like people the world over, I am appalled by the continuing military aggression in Ukraine which raises moral and ethical issues for us all. This profoundly disturbing event and the devasting effect on innocent people urges us all to take action to end the suffering in Ukraine. At Alcumus, we have committed to help and support wherever we can through charitable programmes.”
In 2022, Alcumus along with Barratt and David Wilson Homes South Wales and community groups that included Chepstow and Caldicot Lions and Chepstow Roundtable provided support to a Ukrainian mother and her six children who fled Russian bombing and were rehoused in a new home in Wales. They were given the keys to a bungalow, which has been refurbished by volunteers, by Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack and Monmouthshire MP, David Davies.
Alyn Franklin added: “Today we stand in solidarity with our local MS, Mick Antoniw, to deliver much needed supplies to the frontline in Ukraine and will continue to do all we can to support the Ukrainian people in their shared demand for peace and end to human rights violations.”
