Entertainment stars are backing our campaign to urgently help Ukrainians fleeing the war as funds raised jointly by our Refugees Welcome appeal and that of our sister title, the Evening Standard, passed the ￡200k mark, boosted by yesterday’s government match-funding.

       Comedian and writer Dom Joly, who visited eastern Ukraine three years ago to support children impacted by the eight-year conflict, and TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky, both called on people to donate.

       Donate here

       Their pleas came as the United Nations reported that the number who have fled the country in just over one week now surpasses 1 million, abandoning their homes, schools and livelihoods in what is now the fastest exodus this century.

       Joly said: “There are at least 7.5 million children at risk in Ukraine who desperately need our support. Many have already lived through years of conflict and experienced things no child should be exposed to. Save the Children is doing everything possible to help families affected by this crisis.

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       To find out more about our fundraiser and how you can donate click here

       “Money raised from this Refugees Welcome appeal will help them to provide lifesaving assistance such as food, water, cash transfers, and safe places for children as they flee the conflict. Please give generously.”

       Joly: ‘There are 7.5 million children who need our support’

       Kaplinsky said: “Many children in Ukraine have already lived through eight years of conflict, enduring violence, shelling, and being displaced from their homes. Now as the war escalates, yet more families are being forced to flee the violence.

       Kaplinsky: ‘Children urgently require aid’

       (PA)

       “They urgently require immediate aid and recovery such as food, water, cash transfers, psychosocial support and safe spaces for children – both in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. Please donate what you can.”

       Donations go to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal, which is bringing together 13 leading UK aid charities, including the Red Cross, Save the Children and ActionAid UK.

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       Every pound donated from 3 March will be match-funded by the UK government up to ￡20m. The DEC will ensure your money is quickly and efficiently disseminated to help people displaced from their homes in Ukraine or fleeing across the border.

       The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.