In May 2024, David Fox-Pitt visited Cargilfield. He gave a talk to the Upper School and parents about the work his charity, HopeFull, was doing serving pizzas to disaster-struck communities across Ukraine. Feeling that this was something practical I could do to help I volunteered to go out to Lviv in September.
It was a fascinating and rewarding experience. A small team of volunteers is based in Lviv and we drove our two vans to hostels, schools and hospitals in the surrounding countryside. We fired up the pizza ovens, set up tables, turned on the music and then served 200-300 pizzas to the local residents. Mainly these are displaced people from the east who have come from destroyed towns such as Mariupol, Kherson & Bakhmut. Many have lost multiple family members. We also visited orphanages and rehabilitation centres for injured soldiers. As HopeFull says "It isn't all about the pizza" but a sign that the international community is offering support and friendship.
The charity operates in eastern Ukraine, where conditions are quite challenging. During my stay, I experienced an air raid alarm that prompted us to seek shelter while we heard distant sounds of missiles and explosions. Fortunately, that attack wasn't repeated. I also discovered numerous cottage industries in Lviv staffed by volunteers, providing support through various initiatives—everything from making camouflage netting and food parcels to manufacturing drones. Additionally, a steady stream of people from the UK are delivering used SUVs to be repurposed as ambulances.
If you would like to support the charity, HopeFull's website is www.hopefull.org.uk.
By Nick Reid, current parent at Cargilfield School
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