Brits have now donated more than £100 million to a fundraising campaign providing aid to refugees fleeing Ukraine.
With the conflict continuing to rise and as the Russian invasion of Ukraine said to be “turning lives upside down”, a group of 15 UK charities last week launched a government-backed fundraising appeal – known as the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – to club their efforts together to provide aid to those fleeing what is being described as one of the most “heartbreaking” situations the charities have “ever seen”.
The impressive £100 million total – which has been accumulated over four days since the launch of the appeal – is said to include “generous” donations from the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Cambridge, as well as hundreds of thousands of members of the British public.
The amount raised is equivalent to more than £1 million per hour.
The DEC said the funds are already being used by charities in Ukraine and at its borders to give people food, water, medical assistance, protection and trauma care.
The British public has helped raise £100 million in just four days to support the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – the equivalent of more than £1 million an hour!
The DEC said the funds are already being used by charities in Ukraine and at its borders to give people food, water, medical assistance, protection and trauma care.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This amazing show of support for people fleeing the conflict has meant that we have been able to start spending money straight away to help more people,” said Jo Kitterick, head of supporter engagement at the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development – which is one of the charities involved in the committee.
“I want to thank everyone who has donated to help us support them in their moment of greatest need,” she added.
Ms Kitterick said the charities part of the committee are currently setting up safe centres with beds, food and washing facilities inside Ukraine and on its borders.
ADVERTISEMENT
Transport, information, psychological support, and child-friendly spaces are also being provided.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) was set up amid growing concern for civilian welfare following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after it was estimated that up to four million people could flee Ukraine due to the conflict.
Brits have now donated more than £100 million to the DEC providing aid to refugees fleeing Ukraine / Credit: DEC (via Twitter)
The DEC said that people fleeing Ukraine are in desperate need of food, water, medical assistance and protection.
Many refugees are being forced into hiding to stay safe.
“The majority crossing the borders are women and children arriving with only what they can carry,” the DEC added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Giving an insight into the current situation from the perspective of someone on the ground, Andrew Morley – chief executive of World Vision International, who has recently returned from Siret on the Romanian border – explained: “We support children in countless crises across the world, including those I have recently visited such as Syria and the DRC, but I have never seen a more heartbreaking situation.
“All the children I met were crossing the border in tears, with pain and fear in their eyes.
“They were lost and scared.
“They need the basics, simple, practical help [and while] our staff have been present in this area for decades and there on the ground to deliver it, we need financial support to do this.”
The DEC said that people fleeing Ukraine are in desperate need of food, water, medical assistance and protection / Credit: DEC (via Twitter)
The DEC’s 15 member charities are – Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund, and World Vision UK.
ADVERTISEMENT
Appeals for public donations to the committee are currently being broadcast on various UK news channels, with every pound donated by the British public set to be matched by the government up to the value of £20 million.
The DEC has stressed that monetary donations are needed as opposed to specific items, which are often challenging to transport and not always relevant.
You can find more information and donate via the DEC here.
FIFA confirm new changes to international breaks – and many fans are divided
Danny Jones
Global sporting body FIFA have announced new changes to the annual football calendar and the ever-divisive international breaks, specifically.
It’s fair to say that not everyone is in agreement over the update to what many fans and even players already find a frustrating format.
Put simply, FIFA have revealed that they will be merging the traditional September and October breaks into one extended period of international football from 2026 onwards.
Once again, although the decision has been met with plenty of support, it has also faced just as much, if not potentially even more, resistance.
That's well better. Always thought instead of having 3 short international breaks in autumn we'd be better off having one long one
As detailed by multiple outlets following full confirmation on Monday, 13 September, footy fans are now looking at a combined 16 days of watching national teams in World Cup qualifiers and other fixtures.
While other clubs further down the footballing pyramid will still be able to watch their team, supporters of Premier League sides and several other divisions will see domestic action cease for roughly three weeks when taking into account rest days between international and club fixtures
Besides incorporating more teams into this year’s World Cup (now a 48-team affair) and the still relatively recent advent of the Nations League – which UEFA introduced in the hopes of creating more interest in the much-maligned international breaks – this is one of the biggest changes in some time.
At present, there are typically four breaks: September, October, November and March/April – not including major tournaments themselves.
One criticism of this format has been the stop-start consequence it has on club football, and indeed, struggling to create any real momentum and/or excitement, as well as the impact on form it sometimes has on players both away on national team duty and when they get back to their clubs.
I suppose it’s better than having two different breaks in Sept and the October, and the stop start nature of the club season.
Another big concern these breaks have always been met with is the added risk of fatigue and injury.
Despite being athletes who regularly train to remain at the peak of their physical fitness, the increasingly congested fixture calendar – particularly for those playing in England, with multiple cup competitions, the prospect of European football AND no break over Christmas – continues to push bodies to the limit.
Once again, these new changes to international breaks won’t come into effect until next year, but there are plenty of pros and cons that professionals and supporters alike will continue to debate until the new schedule is implemented.
Family pay tribute to ‘loyal’ son who was killed in a stabbing in Moss Side
Emily Sergeant
The family of a 15-year-old boy who lost his life in a stabbing in Moss Side this week have paid a touching tribute to him.
The boy has also formally been named as Mohanad Abdullaahi Goobe.
Mohanad was described as having an ‘uncanny ability’ to make you laugh in his family’s emotional tribute, as shared with the public.
The family’s statement reads: “Mohanad was the baby of the family, he was quick to laugh, easy to love, with a ready smile. Our son had an uncanny ability to make you laugh, making it sometimes difficult to be serious with him. He had many friends, he was loyal and often played the class clown, simply to see them laugh.
#TRIBUTE | Following the death of a teenage boy on Monton Street in Manchester yesterday (15 September), we are now able to name him as 15-year-old Mohanad Abdullaahi Goobe.
“Mohanad’s life has been cut tragically short, it is difficult to comprehend that seeing your son head off for school in the morning, would be the last time that we would see that handsome face.
“Mohanad deserves to be remembered for the young man who was loved by his family, and loved big in return, not as the boy whose life was taken with no thought or reason.
“We will not allow his name to be known as yet another statistic in the rise of knife crime.”
Tributes come after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of a ‘disturbance’ involving a number of people on Monton Street in Moss Side at just after 4:30pm on Monday (15 September), and when they arrived on the scene, they found a 15-year-old boy with serious stab wounds.
#ARREST | Following our earlier update, a 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.
This arrest comes after the death of another 15-year-old boy on Monton Street, Moss Side yesterday (15 September 2025).
After being treated both at the scene and later in hospital, the boy was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.
A murder investigation was subsequently launched, and another teenager, also a 15-year-old boy, was then arrested on suspicion of murder yesterday (16 September).
Anyone with any information, or who may have been in the area at the time of the incident, is urged to contact GMP on 101 or online, quoting log 2327 of 15/09/25.
You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
7th March 2022 
