THIRTY-THREE tons of vital aid plus £3,300 in donations – that’s what Frinton Rotary’s weekend to aid stricken Ukrainians raised.
And thanks to the inspirational actions of Frinton resident Brian Hosford, that aid should reach the Poland/Ukraine border by Thursday.
Mr Hosford, UK director of Smeets Ferry and Smeets Transport, provided two 26-ton lorries to carry the vital aid to Ukrainians suffering from the Russian invasion.
There were 351 boxes of toiletries, 248 of food, 355 of bedding, 67 of torches, batteries and camping kits, 43 of medical supplies, 13 of candles and matches and 15 boxes of pet food.
It was only last Tuesday that Frinton Rotarians learned that Mr Hosford was intending to help Ukraine by making space available in some of his trucks that regularly go to eastern Europe.
Collection - thousands of items were donated by residents in Frinton
Frinton Rotary president Paul Williams offered the help of Rotarians to open a centre for reception of donations and Frinton Women’s Institute offered the McGrigor Hall free of charge.
Rotarians, the Women’s Institute and members of Walton and Frinton Lifeboat all volunteered to assist in loading the trucks.
Mr Williams said: “This has turned out to be a wonderful community effort, achieved over an incredibly fast time, though to be frank, we were pushing on an open door in this task.
“We are truly grateful to everyone who pitched in, volunteering way beyond our wildest expectations.
“We are so thankful to so many people who just walked in to offer helping sorting and packing the donated goods."
Lorry - the donations are already on tehir way to Ukraine
Mr Williams paid tribute to the outstanding generosity of the public.
"Everyone involved felt they had to do something to help the victims of this most awful situation in which the Ukrainians find themselves," he said.
“The generosity of people around here has been absolutely humbling.”
Long-standing Rotary member Mike Chaplin said: “In all my 25 years in Frinton Rotary, never has a weekend given me such pride and satisfaction in what we have achieved together.”
Mr Hosford added: “We’ve helped many charities over time, but this must be one of the tops. Absolutely amazing”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here