A Fylde pub operator has pledged to fill two articulated lorries with supplies to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
AdvertisementRoss Robinson of Red Fox and Peacock, who lived in Poland for five years as a youth, felt moved by the conflict and is now rallying the Fylde and Preston communities to help him and his team fill the lorries with 64 pallets for transport on 25 March.
Across six pubs, 300 staff have sorted and packed pallet contents, with over 100 volunteers signing up to help.
Read more: Six-year-old Ashton-on-Ribble boy making ribbons to raise funds for those in Ukraine
Ross said: “Based on guidance from people on the ground, we are very specific about what is needed and when and where to deliver it.
“There’s stuff going over the border to Ukraine, delivered by a local logistics company, and other items are making it over for those fleeing the war.
“Our pubs are ideally suited to help. They’re located physically and emotionally at the heart of their communities and have storage in outbuildings, cellars and car parks, which are ideal for drop-offs.”
Read more: Fulwood school donate boxes and bags of vital items to those fleeing Ukraine
The operator said the pubs are selling ribbons made by staff and volunteers for £3 or a donation, adding a discretionary £2 to bills for the next two months and planning fundraisers such as charity dinners and quiz nights.
Ross said: “The pubs are well versed in managing people and logistics. What they’re not used to is driving aid to Poland – so it is important to work with aid foundations and learn from people who’ve already made the trip, as we’re doing.
“We also intend to offer Ukrainians jobs in all of our pubs, should they be looking for work once they’re settled.”
Read more: Ukrainian photographer to raise funds for victims of war with portrait session in Avenham Park
The following pubs will accept donations from Monday 21 to Thursday 24 March, from 9am to 8pm: The Queens Hotel, Lytham; The Eagle at Weeton; The Ship at Freckleton; Lytham House, Lytham; The Elephant, Woolton; The Hesketh, Cheadle Hulme.
Ross will travel with the trucks from their start location on the Fylde coast to their end destination on the Ukrainian border.
Ross, a father of two girls and a new baby boy, said: “It’s become very hard to imagine what the people of Ukraine are going through and the suffering they endure daily having to flee their homes without a moment’s notice and live in constant fear.
“Let’s do what we do best and rally together as a community to help those in need.”
Read more: Chorley Council outlines commitment to supporting those fleeing conflict in Ukraine
The team are looking for the following items only:
Read more: Lostock Hall girl creates ‘Stand with Ukraine’ mugs to support relief effort
To donate via JustGiving, visit –https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/redfoxandpeacockaid
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