A Northumberland vicar has waved off the first vanload of essentials to the Ukrainian-Romanian boarder after just two days of collections in the local community.
St Mary Magdalene, the parish church of Prudhoe, has opened its doors for donations after a Romanian member of the community told vicar Daniel Freyhan she was broken-hearted by the plight of refugees crossing the border into her home country.
The UN said on Tuesday that more than 830,000 people had been displaced by the invasion, and while the majority had fled to Poland, it is thought at least 44,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Romania, with refugees waiting up to 20 hours to cross the border.
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Vicar Daniel Freyhan said: "The whole idea came not from us but a lovely Romanian lady who is part of the Prudhoe community. She asked if we could do some collections in the hall as she was broken-hearted to see all that was going on in her home country, where people are pouring over the borders in desperate need and they're overwhelmed trying to help them all."
"We put it online and it touched the right nerve. People have been moved, and they want to give. It's taken off pretty quickly and we're very much working out what to do as we go along."
So far, Daniel has counted six camp beds, two folding beds, and 'innumerable' sleeping bags, rucksacks and jackets, as well as 'crate after crate' of food.
The collections will be driven by van to London, where they'll be transferred to a lorry belonging to a Romanian Church, before embarking on a journey of more than 2,000km.
He continued: "We have actually got a local Ukrainian family in Prudhoe and when I last spoke they said it’s not possible to get into Ukraine and they need more with the war effort: saving lives, protection , fighting back and so on and we’re just not able to get to that. But we can help by doing this."
The church is continuing to accept donations between 11am and 12pm every day, as well as during 10 - 11am on its Thursday and Saturday coffee mornings. There is a list on Facebook of which items it is collecting and donations can also be made at Boots in Stocksfield.
Daniel continued: "We've been doing well with food and bedding. We've had slightly less of hygiene products, like toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and feminine hygiene products. So if people were actually going to buy something and bring it along, that would be a great thing to get."
For those who are unable to get to Prudhoe, Daniel encouraged people to pray for all those affected by the invasion.
"I should also say, even if people are not used to praying, now is a great time to start. Pray for the people of Ukraine, pray for the people of Romania, pray for the people of Moldova, and actually you know, pray for the people of Russia.
"This is a terrible time for everyone, this is an awful, awful thing to be happening."
You can find more information on collections at Prudhoe Parish Church's website and Facebook page.
