Thank you for your support for ‘Flowers for Ukraine with Shane Connolly’. This event is now closed to donations, as the recording is no longer available to view. 

At 7pm on Wednesday, 6th April, I hosted ‘Flowers for Ukraine’, an online floristry demonstration, where we really hoped to raise over £10,000 for the British Red Cross Society’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal, with your help! As many good ideas these days, it all began with a post on social media.

When I announced on Instagram that I would offer free floral demonstrations to groups in exchange for substantial donations for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, it sparked an idea in the mind of Gill Hodgson, founder of Flowers from the Farm. Gill invited me to share a floral demonstration online for the masses for a smaller sum per person, giving everyone the opportunity to donate. We would obviously like people to donate what they can for this worthy cause.

I said: “The news from Ukraine in the past few weeks has been overwhelming. Raising money for humanitarian efforts by doing what I do in a purposeful way feels like a positive and constructive thing to do, and I love Gill’s idea of scaling things up! We’re asking over 1000 flower-lovers to donate at least £10 each on the Flowers for Ukraine

JustGiving page to generate over £10,000 for the British Red Cross Society’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Every single penny raised will go directly to the Appeal. When you donate, you will be invited to join me live online from 7pm to 8pm on Wednesday, 6th April for a celebration of the language of flowers, sustainable floral design and the sheer beauty of locally-grown, springtime blooms.”

The freshly cut flowers and foliages for this charity fundraiser are being generously donated by members of Flowers from the Farm, the not-for-profit membership association championing nearly 1000 artisan growers of local, seasonal, scented British cut flowers across the UK. Unique Media are supporting the event by donating their technical filming and livestreaming expertise for free.

Shane Connolly has set up a justgiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ukraineshane and is asking for a minimum donation of £10 to raise as much money as possible for the Appeal. All donors will be invited to attend the live online ‘Flowers for Ukraine’ event and will afterwards be able to access a video recording of the floral demonstration. All proceeds from the event will be donated directly to the British Red Cross Society’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

As you know, the humanitarian situation is increasingly dire and desperate. Millions of people have no safe place to call home. More than 2.5 million have already left Ukraine, while countless more are still trapped underground, taking cover from the shelling, and desperate for a safe escape.Red Cross teams have been working around the clock to get critical care to those who need it most, both in Ukraine and its bordering countries. But with recent freezing temperatures, and ongoing violence, an enormous number of people urgently need help right now.