A FUNDRAISING event at Barton Manor, in support of Ukrainian refugees, raised more than £6,000.

Hosted by Dawn and Alex Haig Thomas, of Barton Manor, and organised in association with Medina Publishing and Bookshop of Cowes, the event on April 30 was attended by more than 140 people.

The money will go to the Island charity MAD-Aid, which is co-ordinating the Isle of Wight effort for Ukraine.

The evening included a piano recital by classically trained Island musician Tom Nuckley, who played two pieces composed by Kyiv-born composer Reinhold Glière.

Volunteers including two Ukrainian pupils from Ryde School, who served canapés with a Ukrainian twist and award-winning wine from Moldova.

Victoria Dunford, the founder and CEO of East Cowes based Medical Aid Delivered (MAD-Aid), explained the work of the charity, which she set up when she moved to the Island in 2006.

In 2017 she received the British Empire Medal, and was the first Moldovan to receive a medal from the Queen. Since the Russian invasion MAD-Aid has sent 13 trucks of medical equipment, food and bedding from the Isle of Wight to Moldova and into Ukraine across the border.

Historian Stephan Roman, the author of Isle and Empires: Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight, published by Medina Publishing, addressed the guests.

He told the story of his grandparents who 100 years previously had fled Ukraine into Moldova to escape the onslaught of Russian Bolsheviks and later settled in England.

He recalled that Barton Manor had been the place where the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family had met with King Edward VII in 1909 and set the seal on a new era of partnership and peace between Britain and Russia which lasted till the revolution of 1917.

"We must never forget," he said, "that there is a more liberal Russia struggling to emerge and Barton Manor should stand as a symbol of a future based, not on war and violence, but on international cooperation and shared values." 

MAD-Aid will use the funds raised to buy fridges, microwaves and washing machines for the refugees now living in the MADI-aid Phoenix Centre in neighbouring Moldova.

During her recent visit to Moldova, Victoria saw 80 displaced Ukrainians sharing one fridge.

"With hotter conditions, refrigeration is becoming more essential to keeping food donations fresh and these items will help Ukrainian displaced people get better living conditions," she said.

"Once more the people of the Isle of Wight have demonstrated that kindness does not have any border."

You can donate aid to MAD-Aid by dropping it at the County Press office in Pyle Street, Newport, between 9am and 5pm weekdays.