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A furniture restorer and a pub landlord who are driving a van stocked with donations from UK to Poland have said they are not heroes for carrying out the gruelling journey.
David Edwards and David Lee, two friends from Frensham in Surrey, are driving 1,300 miles from the UK to Poland.
They are starting off from London to Calais, before driving through Belgium, Germany and arriving in Przemysl, Poland – taking about six days in total.
Mr Edwards, a furniture restorer, said he has no links to the transport industry and has hired the “largest van he could on a car licence” to drive the donations over.
The donations have been collected by the Lewisham Polish Centre, in south east London, after members of the community began giving items such as cosmetics, nappies, sleeping bags and duvets.
Volunteers prepare to load a van with donations for Ukrainian refugees which will be driven from the Lewisham Polish Centre, south London, for delivery in Poland
Following its appeal, the centre has received around 17 tonnes in donations. It has now urged people to stop dropping off goods and give money to its fundraiser instead.
Around 11 tonnes of donations have been delivered so far in previous convoys to Poland organised by the centre, which set off from Monday last week and have since arrived.
Mr Edwards and Mr Lee are the next convoy taking 1.3 tonnes of donations, consisting of medical supplies, tents, sleeping bags and other essential aid.
They will be joined by Mr Lee’s son Etienne, 20, who will be providing the pair with “moral support”.
Mr Lee, the landlord of the Holly Bush pub, said he and his son had tickets to see Manchester United play against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday but gave up their tickets as they felt like they had to go.
Volunteers load a van with donations for Ukrainian refugees which will be driven from the Lewisham Polish Centre, south London, for delivery in Poland
He told the PA news agency: “We had tickets for Old Trafford on Saturday for me and my son. I said to Etienne, ‘Look, I’m really sorry, but I think I need to I need to do this. Do you mind going with somebody else?’ He said, ‘I’m coming with you.’ “I said, ‘It’s not a sightseeing trip, this is brutal road driving.’ And he said ‘I’m coming with you’.”
He added: “This is about people connecting – ordinary people in the UK helping their fellow countrymen, who are ordinary Polish people, and they doing extraordinary things to help Ukrainians.
“We’re just the link that joins the dots. It’s nothing more than that. We’re not doing anything heroic, not doing anything dangerous, we’re just driving on an autobahn.”
Mr Edwards, who co-runs Finntage Interiors, told PA: “My motivation for doing this was because I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to directly help.
“I have the opportunity to take some time out and to do the journey and I was able to guarantee the costs of the trip for the Lewisham Polish Centre. It was really just wanting to help out and just do something that was practical.”
The pair fundraised £1,500 for the costs of the journey but ended up raising more than £6,000 so far.
All of the leftover funds will be donated towards the Disasters Emergency Committee.
Mr Edwards said: “David and I have been friends for a few years now. I mentioned the trip to him and the first thing he said was ‘I’d like to help if I can’.”
He added: “The biggest thing I’m concerned about is getting across the France/UK border, ironically. I think once we get through that, I think we’ll be okay. There’s an organisation the centre is working with near the border who will be our official delivery point, so we’re not just turning up randomly.”
The centre previously faced issues with getting its trucks across the border from the UK to Calais last week, with the charity’s chair Agnieszka Lokaj telling PA that drivers were turned away by port authorities who told them they did not have the correct documentation. However they’ve since been let through.
Ms Lokaj said: “I am absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of donations and the ways people have been supporting us, not only bringing in donations but also in the background.
“It’s not just members of the Polish community who have been donating, volunteering and helping us pack – it’s international. It’s everyone. We’ve had Russian people helping out, packing and contributing too. We’ve had support from the local council, Labour party, lots of local organisations and the Polish schools. Nobody wants this war.”
To donate towards Mr Edwards and Mr Lee’s fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/frenshamsupportforlpc To donate towards the Lewisham Polish Centre’s appeal, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Ukrainianappeal
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