AN OAKLEY actor has travelled to Ukraine to help install new windows for those who had theirs broken in the war.
Louis Hall, 26, who founded the charity, The Big Hoof, is supporting Insulate Ukraine, a new organisation that has created a simple and cost-effective solution to windows that have been shattered in the war-torn country.
He has travelled from the UK and met up with the founder of Insulate Ukraine, a 25-year-old engineer from the University of Cambridge, Harry Blakiston Houston, and an American volunteer, Edward Terry. The group met in Kyiv where, after a short air raid, they hired a car, bought 120 metres of PVC piping, pipe insulation and 300 metres of polyethylene and set off east to Izyum.
Louis said: "I am helping a new organisation called Insulate Ukraine, an initiative begun by a 25-year-old engineer from the University of Cambridge that has created a new solution to shattered windows. It is more effective than double-glazed windows and costs less than £10.
"On December 30, we travelled by plane and train from the UK to fix the windows blown out by the Battle of Izyum on March 3 to April 1, 2022. Since the fighting began, the city has been brought to its knees.
"Once a population of 50,000, only 10,000 remain. Of the ones that still stand, every single building shows the marks of violence. Bullet holes have peppered the doors and walls of homes. The black stains of bombs and shelling are seen on every street and the sound of discovered mines punctuate the daylight hours.
"The Russians were pushed back in September, leaving a mass grave of 440 innocent civilians, and now, as the harsh winter descends, the most fundamental enemy that the remaining civilians of Izyum face is the cold."
Their solution to vanquishing this 'enemy'? Triple-glazed cellophane windows. They insulate like a standard double-glazed window, however, these can be built by almost anyone for less than £10 and they are much easier to transport.
The work that they are doing is greatly appreciated by those they are helping and it truly makes a difference, one Insulate Ukraine volunteer, Alexi Guidroitz, said: "Valentina was the first person we helped.
"She cried as she showed us the state of her house and the bath where she slept in for warmth. She had 13 broken windows. Valentina will no longer have to sleep in the bathroom and she was already arranging her house again as we left. As we left, she mentioned that she would pray for us till the end of her days."
Insulate Ukraine arrived in Izyum on January 1 and for the duration of their three-week mission they not only aim to install more than 1,000 windows, they will be teaching the locals how to make them themselves.
Louis continued: "We aim to install over 1,000 in the coming weeks and to teach local builders and civilians so that they can spread the word and install as many windows as possible in this war-torn area. What we need now is financial support to order the necessary supplies from Kharkiv to continue installing our window solutions."
To find information on how you can donate to the cause and help Ukrainian people keep warm this winter, visit https://ukraine-themal-envelope.notion.site/How-to-donate-de8eb81e33744620bbf7427991f2b6cc
Louis has ridden horseback from John O'Groats to Land's End and from Penzance to Devon for charity in the past as part of his 'Big Hoof' and, last year, took it one step further, making a 3,000-kilometre journey across Europe to raise money for refugees.
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