Horsham pub appeal sparks massive response to help Ukrainian refugees

Caring customers at the King’s Arms in Horsham’s Bishopric came forward in droves when publicans Jodie Munday and partner Michael Gates appealed for vital donations to deliver directly to front line workers in Poland.

Within days, the pub found itself running out of storage space. “It’s incredible,” said Jodie. “People have just been coming in and dropping things off.

“It’s amazing.

“All our regular customers can’t do enough. They are offering to drive their work vans because we have so much stuff. They are all stepping up.”

It was originally planned to deliver the goods to Poland on March 28. “But,” said Jodie, “we might have to re-think that with a convoy of vans.”

The appeal took off after Jodie and Michael posted on the pub’s Facebook page: “2.5 million refugees have now left the Ukraine! That’s nearly all women and children.

“The crisis is growing day by day. And as a community pub we feel compelled to help in some way.”

Richard Grady, a director of pub owners North and South Leisure, began organising the Poland trip with a couple of friends of the business.

It followed a ban by Jodie and Michael on selling Russian vodka - with Ukraine vodka on sale instead.

“It was the first step we took,” said Jodie. “We took all Russian vodka off the shelf and replaced it with Ukrainian vodka.

“That was just our little drop in the ocean before we started collecting donations.”

But, they pointed out, their actions were not against the people of Russia but against the Russian government.

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