Teachers from Griffin Federation, of Sutton Bridge, Gedney Drove End and Holbeach St Marks deliver aid to the people of Ukraine

Teaching staff from The Griffin Federation, of Sutton Bridge, Gedney Drove End and Holbeach St Marks, have delivered vital aid to the people of Ukraine and are planning another trip to support the war-torn region.

Assistant executive headteacher, Sally Massey, and teacher, Chantelle Pooley, spent a weekend in Lviv Oblast, the largest city in western Ukraine, last month distributing food, books and other resources to people displaced by the war.

"Lots of people have asked me how did you feel, and it sounds crazy for a country at war, but as we crossed the border into Ukraine, the landscape and the architecture were so different, so beautiful," recalls Sally.

"I had a real sense of inner peace, I think it was because we were actually there, able to do something to help. In terms of devastation, because we were on the very western side of the country, we didn’t really see any of that.

"The people were beautiful and incredibly grateful, some spoke a little English, while others did not, but we managed to find other ways of communicating.

"We laid books and other resources – pencils and felt tips – out on tables for the children to choose from, as well as pictures and letters our children had sent for children in Ukraine and to soldiers on the front line.

"To see the excited looks on their faces was heart-warming; it was incredible to be able to make even a small difference."

Pupils at The Griffin Federation raised £1,103.90 for the cause through a non-uniform day, a games fair and the sale of bracelets, while Chantelle raised £387 via Go Fund Me. The pair used the money to buy fresh produce at the Polish border to deliver to three shelters for displaced families.

Sally was inspired to take the trip after her husband, Simon, a former teacher and event producer, went to help in Ukraine shortly after the war broke out.

"He’d never done anything like it before, but said he just had to go out there to do whatever he could. Initially he was serving meals to people as they came over the border, before becoming one of three people running the site and setting up an accommodation block for volunteers based in Poland," Sally added.

"Now he splits his time between Medyka, in Poland, Ukraine and home and is finding it really meaningful, just to be able to make a small difference."

Simon and his US-based friend have set up a non-profit organisation Actions Beyond Words, with a supporting Facebook page Mission Ukraine, through which more help is being given to the Ukrainian people.

Now Sally and Chantelle plan to raise funds to help Actions Beyond Words provide more support vehicles and also want to go back to Ukraine themselves.

She added: "We have a Ukrainian pupil at Holbeach St Marks, they’re staying with a host family along with their sibling and mum, while their dad remains in Ukraine, so it felt even more important for us as a federation to offer our support."

* Follow Actions Beyond Words on Facebook or visit www.actionsbeyondwords.net/donations to donate or see how you can help.