A POGMOOR man who initiated an appeal to help Ukrainians flee their wartorn country is asking for donations.
Barnsley residents’ generosity has been praised by Henryk Matysiak, having received cash and food donations to support them in their desperate plea to save vulnerable families.
Businessman Henryk, who came up with the idea of the United for Ukraine appeal in March, took it upon himself to send vans loaded with items more than 1,000 miles to Poland where thousands of refugees have sought asylum having escaped Russia’s invasion.
The ex-firefighter, of Hunters Avenue in Pogmoor, told the Chronicle local support ‘hasn’t stopped flooding in’ – and praised well-wishers for continuing to support the cause.
“I have aunties, uncles and cousins in Poland who helped me come up with the idea to start all of this.
“The amount of support we’ve received since starting the appeal has been immense.
“We’ve achieved a lot and hoping to continue helping where we can.
“We are in the process of making boxes up for the men, women and children out there, which are costing us around £75 per box – we’ve made about 120 boxes so far, so it’s costing a fortune as you can imagine.
“Not to mention the insurance, road tax and snow tyres we have to be able to afford – snow tyres alone cost £450 and they’re illegal to travel without them, so that isn’t an option.
“Every single donation is extremely appreciated, without everyone’s support, none of this would even be possible, we are so grateful.”
If you wish to donate towards the appeal, please get in touch with Henryk via the United for Ukraine Facebook page.
