'There's so much humanity in the community that we're spitting in the eye of Putin'

Horndean consultant, Jacqui Buchanan, and owner of Hair Raising in Waterlooville, Joanna Burridge, have teamed up with a member of Portsmouth’s Ukrainian community to collect truckloads of goods to supply civilians in crisis.

Since Monday, the trio have worked with the residents of Portsmouth to drum up enough supplies to fill three transit vans, with Ukrainian-born Maryna Kuzmenko from Portsmouth’s Ukrainian community pulling together enough aid to fill her whole house from top to bottom.

At the start of the week, Jacqui posted to Facebook to explain the huge humanitarian effort they were undertaking, and said that ‘very quickly’ they’d collected ‘massive pile loads’ of various items.

Everything from baby clothing and knitted blankets, to pet food, bedding and safety boots for families who have fled their homes with scarce supplies have been handed in.

Jacqui said: ‘There's an awful lot of human spirit and kindness out there.

‘It's actually spitting in the eye of Putin thinking; actually we've got so much humanity in people.

‘It's such a heart-warming thing to have gone through in the last two days.’

Donations are being accepted at Joanna’s hair salon, Hair Raising, in the Horndean precinct with vans jam-packed with many supplies going to Alton farmer, Ben Robinson, where they can be stored inside a shed in his barn before making the journey to refugee areas like Poland.

A few items that the charitable team are looking for are everyday medical products to treat common coughs and colds, tinned foods, generators, medical equipment, blankets and baby foods for those who have fled their homes.

Ben Robinson and his wife Isobel, who are accepting donations at their family-owned site – Hattingley Barn – in Alton are working with other farmers across the country to muster as many collections as possible to get to the eastern Poland border.

He said: ‘The plan is for these lorries to get as far into Ukraine as possible. We’re relying on our Ukrainian contacts at the other end.

‘When you’ve got millions suffering internally you’ve got to get goods over in bulk.

‘If the war gets so intense, it may be impossible to distribute to refugees in border areas.

READ ALSO: Donations for Ukraine pour in to The News after a plea by Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt

‘However it is difficult to distribute the products because a majority of men are not allowed to leave the country to help with the transportation.’

Jacqui has travelled to Southsea, Alton, Fareham and other areas in Portsmouth to collect donations form the ‘kind-spirited’ people of Hampshire.

She added: ‘Jo and I are funding this ourselves. The local community have been fantastic.

‘We need duvet covers and I know that's being pedantic but you've got to think these people have got nothing. We've got to give them their dignity.’

Jacqui and her team have bene advised against any liquid products, with a focus on donating textiles like bedding and clothing.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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