The Friends of Oleksandriya

13/08/2026

💙💛 Civic Reception Success!
Last night, the Friends of Oleksandriya were welcomed to the Guildhall by Madam Mayor, Cllr Ruth Malloy, for a truly memorable Civic Reception.

We formally handed over the gifts from Mayor Serhii Kuzmenko of Oleksandriya, and shared updates on our key projects — the new book, the veteran centre initiative, the icon exhibition in Bath, and our upcoming concerts.

The reception was fully inclusive, with online access for supporters who could not attend for medical reasons. We are sincerely grateful to Madam Mayor for making this possible.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us. Our community grows stronger every day.

Christopher John Dando
Justin
Yuliia Lut

06/08/2026

Thanks to the generousity of local residents of Bath, more gym equipment for the Veteran Rehabilitation Centre for Го Рестарт has been collected.

06/08/2026

With Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

03/08/2026

We’re thrilled to share that the second book in the Vitalii Petrenko series is nearly ready to meet the world. Claire Bramwell-Pearson has crafted another captivating story, brought to life with beautiful illustrations by Alexandra Dikaia and a striking cover designed by Kate Davies.

I won’t reveal too much just yet — the book is heading to print very soon, and you’ll be able to find it in local shops before long.

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, now is the perfect time to catch up. You can order it from Amazon (link in the comments) or pick up a copy from Bath Abbey gift shop or Tippings.

Exciting things are coming for Vitalii Petrenko’s adventures. Stay tuned!

29/07/2026

A picture from yesterday's talk for Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club. Here you can see their President Douglas Nash with Zhenya Shkil and William Jackson.

29/07/2026

This post below was made more than 2 months ago. The post can be a bit misleading as it talks about "a Ukrainian mother living near Bath" a.i. Zhenya Shkil. Yes, Ukrainian, and yes, mother, but also Chair and Founder of the Friends of Oleksandriya. :) The hospital appeal that the post describes was initiated by our charity, supported by Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club as well as other Rotary Clubs and individuals. The donations were transferred to ЦЕНТР ДОПОМОГИ ОЛЕКСАНДРІЯ whose volunteers sorted them all. On the same day, men's clothes and bedding were transferred to the local hospital in Oleksandriya, children's and women's clothes were made available to the IDPs.

Yesterdays, Zhenya Shkil and William Jackson came with a talk to the Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club by invitation from Hugo Pike, the person behind Water Survival Box. Our Trustees happily shared the details of the recent trip to Ukraine, the projects of the last year and ongoing projects, as well as upcoming events and new challenges. Thanks a lot for attentive listening and support! We are looking forward to more projects together!

At the end of April an unusual request was received through a Ukrainian mother living near Bath asking if Rotary could help collect suitable clothing for a hospital in south central Ukraine urgently needed to help clothe patients referred from the front-line for treatment. Within just six weeks Rotarian members from all 17 Rotary Clubs in Bath and North East Somerset and west Wiltshire had responded and a total of 57 cartons of assorted clothing with a combined weight of at least 825 kilograms had been delivered to Pensford Post Office where Club President Umang Patel is the PostMaster.
Together with a smaller collection made in Bath the total of more than one tonne of clothing will be delivered to the hospital in Kirovohradska before the end of June.
Photo shows Will Jackson from Hereford Elgar Rotary Club, Zhenya Skhil, and Graham Robinson, Hugo Pike, Martin Palmer, Umang Patel from Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club having loaded the cartons prior to departure.