Nutbourne couple got to Poland to provide vital aid for Ukrainian refugees

Stuart Ray and his wife Aleksandra travelled to Poland on Sunday, March 27 from Sussex to supply aid to the refugees fleeing the conflict.

Speaking before he set off, Stuart said: “The idea came about because my wife is Polish, obviously when the conflict started, having family still back in Poland and her Mum and Dad, she was very anxious because there are a lot of Ukrainians going to Poland.

“She was worried that it might spill over to Poland and was talking to her friends back home and found out that there were a group of women and children that literally turned up in her hometown with nothing but the shirts on their backs.

“It turns out that they were being put up in the hotel that my wife and I had our reception in only four years ago.

“So that makes it even more poignant for her.

“My wife has a little beauty salon in Hambrook and so she put it out on her Instagram page and her Facebook that she wanted to start collecting some essential items and various bits and pieces from her colleagues and the response has been unbelievable.

“Her salon is almost full up with stuff, clothes, baby stuff, nappies and all that kind of stuff. She just asked for essential items to keep them warm, keep them fed, keep them healthy and it basically went from there.

“She organised it less than two weeks ago. We came up on Saturday (March 19) and rented out a container in Hambrook so we put everything into there and I’ve only got a little van so I don’t know how I’m going to get it in to be honest!

“But my wife didn’t want to send the aid with a generic charity. She wanted to make sure that what she collected, because of how close it was with it being in her hometown and plus where we got married as well, she wanted to make sure that these people actually got it.

“So I sort of put my hand up and said that I would stick it in ym van and I’ll take it over there.

“I said to my wife that we have more than enough stuff in the van and I have taken the trip before on summer holidays and things like that. It’s a decent two day journey and about 1,200 miles each way which will take me a good couple of days. “People are still donating stuff, so it could potentially mean that we go another time.

“We obviously keep an eye on the news like everybody does and it doesn’t look like it’s going to finish anytime soon and it seems to be getting worse and worse and worse and whatever help that we can do we’re more than happy to do it.

“I work in the motor trade in the Chichester are and have a lot of contacts and I put a message out last week sort of telling my friends and colleague what I was doing and had almost everybody that I sent out messages to have said ‘Well, before you go, come see me and I will either give you money for some petrol or you can come and fill up the van on the business card

“I also wanted to make sure we give a big thanks to everyone who has donated in one way or another.

“They are:- Chichester Tailors, The Pig in the South Downs Staff, Clients of Alex Ray Treatments, Chichester Cars, Cars of Chichester, R D Motors, Hambrook Cars, C20 Motorcars, Champneys Day Spa Chichester, JL Signs and Pinewood Nursing Home Chidham.”

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