Editor: Counting our blessings and trying to help others

The horrors taking place in Ukraine, while the world sits unable or unwilling to take more action, have left many of us shaken in recent weeks.

Such bloodshed and pointless violence on our own continent is something we never imagined we would see again in modern times.

Yet, within a few weeks, our interest seems to have waned.

Things are no better in Ukraine now than they were in those awful first days when Putin invaded. In fact they are considerably worse for those who were just trying to lead a peaceful life.

But this is not the first conversation on our lips now, it isn’t top of the political agenda and our level of interest bears no longer bears any resemblance to the level of atrocities being committed.

We must not allow ourselves to become numb to images of bombed schools and homes, never let that urgent desire we had to help fade away as the weeks pass us by.

We are only human but our capacity to take a continual interest in any subject, even war, seems challenged.

Of course, this isn’t the case for everyone.

There are scores of people in Sheffield who are trying incredibly hard to make a difference and do their bit to bring change.

You will read about one such person over the page. Pam Young has been helping out at the Hungary-Ukraine border and the sights she has seen are a far cry from our comfortable lives back home in Sheffield.

Pam’s charity works with some of the poorest people in the world and she felt like she had to help once news of the war in Ukraine broke.

It is people like Pam who make us proud of our city and help us to appreciate everything that we take for granted.

We might not always notice it on a daily basis but we have a lot to give thanks for in Sheffield and there is no better time to think about that for a few minutes than right now.

As we do that, let’s continue to do all we can as individuals to help those most in need so that those in Ukraine can one day count their blessings again too.