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A woman who was born in the Soviet Union has called on islanders to join her in knitting hats for newborn babies in Ukraine.
Lilita Kruze, who has been living in Guernsey for more than 20 years, is currently working on her tenth hat for the project.
“When Guernsey Post announced it would waive postage fees for humanitarian aid packages to Ukraine I went shopping and sent two large boxed of donations to Ukraine, but I wanted to do more to help,” she said.
Pictured: Ms Kruze is knitting newborn baby hats in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
“I came up with the idea of knitting hats for newborn babies; I had done a similar thing during the 2020 lockdown when I made lovely baby hats for the North Tyneside General Hospital in the UK," continued Ms Kruze.
“It warms my heart when I realise that one day a little baby boy or baby girl in a country far away from Guernsey will wear one of the hats I have made.”
Ms Kruze is encouraging other islanders to join her initiative.
“I know how generous Guernsey people are and I wanted to invite them to supporting Ukrainian families in a time of great need,” she said.
“Every little helps and I hope that the “Guernsey Together” spirit will shine through.”
Pictured: Lilita Kruze.
Ms Kruze said that some of the hats will be sent to Latvia, where she was born.
“I saw on the news that a Ukrainian refugee had given birth to a baby girl in a maternity hospital in Riga,” she said.
“I contacted the hospital and they said they would be happy to accept our donations. It is estimated that there are up to 4,000 Ukrainian refugees in Riga alone and many of them are women and children.”
Ms Kruze was particularly upset by the attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol.
“I thought it was evil and heartless. It is unbelievable that these acts of war are happening in 21st century Europe,” she said.
“I feel deeply for all the people of Ukraine who are suffering and I call on Russia to end this war.”
Pictured: Another person in Guernsey has shown solidarity with Ukraine and support for its people through window painting.
Debbie Baker is also encouraging Guernsey residents to show solidarity with Ukraine through crafts. She has painted the Ukrainian flag and sunflowers on the windows of her home.
“I saw online last week that the sunflower was the National flower of Ukraine so I thought it would be nice to paint some on the windows to show support,” she said.
Ms Baker’s father, Roy Gillman, did the paintings and suggested including the flags.
“The images and reports on the news about the war are heartbreaking and terrifying, but the support that people from other countries are giving to Ukraine restores your faith in humanity,” said Ms Baker.
Pictured: The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine.
For more information about the knitting drive call Lilita on 07781 455088.
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