Charity Work – Society Trustee and son working to help Ukraine

Originally Published 03 May, 2022

Haileybury Society trustee Fiona Illingworth (BF 76 & Alb) in 2022 welcomed a family from the Ukraine to stay with her and her husband Robin at their home in East Sussex. Her son, meanwhile, has set up Operation Safe Drop to help those affected by Russia’s aggression.

Fiona, a funeral celebrant, is closely involved in supporting the safe transfer of Ukrainian refugees to the UK. Fiona’s son Toby (above), chairman of Wealden Conservatives and district councillor for Buxted in East Sussex, has worked tirelessly to help the difficult situation facing Ukrainian refugees trying to come to the UK.

Helping Ukrainian refugees

Frustrated by the lack of action from the current UK government, Toby (below) visited the Polish border where he saw the situation first hand. He joined forces with the Make a Difference Foundation and set up the crowdfunding initiative, Operation Safe Drop, in April 2022. 

“We were quite shocked at the UK’s representation in Poland. In the humanitarian centre there are tables for each country for where people want to go. Hundreds and hundreds were in each queue, apart for the UK one which had less than ten people a day […] because it is the only country in Europe requiring visas”

Toby Illingworth

“Something needed to be done”

While many of the refugees arriving in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova have a friend, relative, or volunteer host they are trying to reach, most have few belongings and no available source of funds when they arrive at the border.

Many have been lingering in the refugee camps trying to find a permanent place to safely stay for the duration of the Crisis.

Helping Ukrainians understand and overcome the UK’s complex visa system and poor administration is a key purpose of Operation Safedrop – as Toby said, “We felt we didn’t have a choice, something needed to be done.” 

Support Operation Safe Drop

Operation Safe Drop, established by the Make A Difference Foundation, is working to provide extraction from across Ukraine, assisting refugees evacuate from places like Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

Toby has lead the expansion of the project to include providing information, translation services, UK sponsor pairing at SafeDrop’s hubs in Lviv, Warsaw and Przemysl. Safe Drop also provides transportation to get women and children safely directly to their needed destination after crossing the border.

Not only does this assist the families and their loved ones but also relieves the pressure on the border refugee camps.   

Already over £35,000 has been raised and more is needed. Please do donate whatever you can at Operation Safe Drop’s Just Giving page here.

As Fiona (above) says “We are so grateful to everyone for their support with this – you really can make a difference!”

See what other OHs are doing to support charities worldwide

Haileybury instils in all its pupils and alumni the notion of Spirit of Service. Many OHs support charities and charitable initiatives throughout their lives and encourage others to do so too. To find out more, click the button below.

More OH Charitable Initiatives

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As a charity, The Haileybury Society relies on its income from membership fees, legacies and donations of all sizes to achieve our charitable aims, and to help fellow OHs of all ages. It is only through your help that we are able to do this; any donation, no matter its size, is always appreciated. Donate here

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