The news of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is heartbreaking and tragic. Here at Colouring Heaven, we want to show our support for the people affected by this conflict. We’re inviting you to show your support too by joining our challenge to colour this design in blue and yellow, and make a small donation to the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal, to champion the bravery and resilience shown by the people of Ukraine in the face of this horrible conflict.
The design can be downloaded for free from our website, so you can take part wherever you are in the world. It can be coloured with any materials using any technique, so there’s no need to buy anything to take part – just some colouring pencils or pens will do.
The design is inspired by the power of peace and love, Ukraine’s national bird (the nightingale), and their national flower (the sunflower), to uphold the incredible courage of the Ukraine people.
We hope that colouring this page will give you some time to reflect on the impact of this conflict and the heartbreaking losses already experienced. Although it may feel like we cannot do anything to help, we’ve listed some ideas and resources below that might be a good place to start.
One of the most powerful and impactful things you can do right now is make a donation to an appropriate cause, to support people affected by this conflict. Any donation will help, big or small.
Anthem Publishing, the company that publishes Colouring Heaven, will be making a £10,000 donation to the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal, and will continue to donate 5% of our monthly profits to the Appeal throughout 2022. We would like to encourage other publishers, and our readers, to add your support too if you feel able to. You can find out more here, and make a donation here.
The charity has been chosen as one that directly supports the people displaced by the fighting as well as helping people who have crossed the border into other countries, currently estimated to be a million, but potentially rising as high as four million.
We want to encourage you to think about how you can support Ukraine artists at this time. If you are able to, consider supporting them on Etsy by purchasing a digital product, or following them on social media.
For example, you can support Ukrainian artist Lika Lendel (featured artist from Colouring Heaven Junior Cute Baby Animals) on her Etsy store, or by following her on Instagram.
Ukrainian artist Nadiia Zebrakovska, who has been featured in our member-exclusive Discovery Club, has also shared some resources to help support Ukraine on her Instagram page.
There is a lot of misinformation online about the conflict, so we encourage you to stay informed through credible sources, and to stay aware of how much you are sharing online. Question where your information about the conflict is coming from, and whether sharing it with others could potentially be spreading misinformation.
We also think it’s important to be aware of your mental health and wellbeing at this time. Here’s a great article from Huffpost about how to stay informed about the conflict, while also considering your own wellbeing. When sharing information about the conflict with family and friends, remember to consider their mental health too.
We’d also like to take this one step further and ask that when you’ve finished your blue and yellow design, consider making a donation to the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal – this design is completely free for you to download, so you could simply donate the amount you would usually spend on a digital colouring page.
Don’t forget, when you’ve finished your design, make sure you share it with us on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #ColourForUkraine, so we can spread the love and support for Ukraine far and wide. This is also our monthly challenge in our Friends of Colouring Heaven Facebook group, so why not join us and share your page there too?
From the Colouring Heaven team x
