Castle Combe, in England’s Cotswolds, is often called one of the prettiest villages in the country. It is tiny, with only a few hundred residents, and it has barely changed in centuries (Molony, 2026). Visitors come for the stone cottages and the bridge. But tucked between the postcard views is something I find even more beautiful: quiet, steady solidarity with Ukraine.
A flag on the door knocker
When the American writer Tiana Molony spent a week in the village in 2026, she noticed one cottage with a Ukrainian flag tied to its door knocker and a sign reading “Ukraine Appeal.” The sign reported a remarkable total: “Since February 2022, I have raised £19,190.79 for Ukraine” (Molony, 2026). Passersby were invited to knock, or simply to put money through the letterbox under the flag.
Next door, another neighbour runs a small shop on trust, where you take a drink or a pastry and slip your money through the mail slot (Molony, 2026). That is the spirit of the village: people leave goods on their doorsteps and trust visitors to pay.
Ice cream for Ukraine
A year earlier, a guide to Castle Combe described an elderly woman who sells her own ice cream in tubs from her doorstep, chats with every customer and has raised money for Ukraine (The Madam Editor, 2025). This autumn, a video shared by Ukraine Breaking News and credited to United24 brought her story to thousands more people: a woman in a quiet English village whose ice cream raises funds for Ukraine (Ukraine Breaking News, n.d.). One commenter remembered buying ice cream from her, and a quilted pillow too.
The sources do not name her, and I will not either. Whether the flag on the door knocker and the ice cream on the doorstep belong to one neighbour or two, the lesson is the same. Solidarity does not need a stage. It needs a doorstep, a little trust and the patience to keep going, scoop by scoop and pound by pound, year after year.
Why I collect these stories
I love reading stories like this. As a Canadian born in Ukraine, I have spent years gathering accounts of how people around the world stand with Ukraine: rallies and scholarships, yes, but also bake sales, knitting circles, quilts and ice cream. These quiet acts rarely make headlines, yet together they hold up a whole country’s hope. They remind Ukrainians that they are not alone.
This week I begin this year’s work and travel researching how people stand with Ukraine. Today I am preparing for Remembrance Day, and soon I leave for Lisbon. I look forward to finding more neighbours like these and sharing their stories with you.
What you can do
- Look for the doorsteps in your own community. Who is quietly raising funds for Ukraine near you? Buy the ice cream, the pastry or the quilt.
- Tell their stories. Message me with the people and projects you know. I would love to learn about them, with their permission.
- Start your own small act. A table, a jar or a trust shop can grow into thousands for Ukraine over time.
- Join or start a club. Stand with Ukraine clubs and Love, Care, Share clubs at schools and universities help small acts grow.
Thank you to the people of Castle Combe, and to everyone who stands with Ukraine in their own way.
Love. Care. Share. 🇺🇦🌻
References
Molony, T. (2026, July 7). The quiet spell of Castle Combe: Reflections from a week spent in one of England’s most photographed villages. The Santa Barbara Independent. https://www.independent.com/2026/07/07/the-quiet-spell-of-castle-combe/
The Madam Editor. (2025, August 19). No.26 | Summering: Castle Combe guide. The Edited. https://themadameditor.substack.com/p/no26-summering-castle-combe-guide
Ukraine Breaking News. (n.d.). In a quiet English village, one woman’s ice cream raises funds for Ukraine [Video; video by United24]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/reel/906345252564027
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