A FLASH mob of singers from three Hereford choirs joined together in High Town to show solidarity for the people of Ukraine and to raise funds for Hereford for Ukraine.
The Hereford Fire Choir, The Kindle Singers and Gracenotes Ladies choir joined together to sing the Ukrainian anthem "Prayer for Ukraine" at an impromptu concert in the city.
The patriotic hymn, first written in 1885, has become a spiritual anthem for the country.
Prayer for Ukraine was performed in Kyiv in 2001 during a parade celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. It has recently been part of church services internationally, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Choir leader Jon Watson said: "The three choirs have all been learning the same song seperately and we've all come together today to show some solidarity with the Ukrainians.
"We've all been very upset seeing what has been happening and wanted to do anything we could to show some support."
Herefordshire has shown solidarity with voices from local governments across Europe calling for peace in Ukraine as Russian weaponry targets local communities, destroying social infrastructure.
While local authorities urgently prepare for an influx of refugees, Coalition Coun Liz Harvey joined 230 mayors and council leaders from across Europe for a ‘Local Governments Unite for Welfare and Peace International Marathon’ group call.
Ukraine’s social infrastructure has been directly targeted since the war began. Facilities supporting local communities have been destroyed, including 117 hospitals and 5 maternity hospitals, 400 schools and kindergartens.
Water, gas, electricity and food supplies have been cut off and entire towns and villages have been razed to the ground as millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes.
Help from around the world is providing medicines, food, and warm clothing for those that have faced the horrors of this war.
Coun Harvey said: ‘We heard live and first-hand from the mayors of Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, and Mariupol about the impact on their communities and the devastation being caused by the Russian army while bombs and rockets continued to fall on their cities.
"Here in Herefordshire we continue to support a wide range of community initiatives to raise funds for refugees and to provide emergency aid."
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