Suffolk water company workers to deliver aid to Ukrainian refugees
This will be the second trip workers will have made to deliver supplies
A Suffolk based water company is collecting supplies to deliver to Poland to help refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
This will be the second trip workers from Essex & Suffolk Water will make to Poland, after 10 staff previously delivered five trucks of aid in March. They delivered this aid to the small village of Rzepiennik Marciszewski, which is around 30km south of Tarnow.
Inspired, and moved, by the people they met on their first trip out to Poland, the team have now set up donation drop-off points and an online Amazon wish-list, and will drop off more supplies in a lorry, which has been donated by local haulage company, Forest Freight, to Poland in May.
Daniel Fletcher, who works for the company, is coordinating the efforts: "We've made friends over there now with the people that are there, the aid workers and the warm-hearted people in Poland who've put their arms around people to help them.
"We've heard recently that since we've left, the aid really isn't getting to them like it should be and we're very much emotionally involved now with the people we met, and we couldn't just sit around and do nothing."
He says it was tough getting back to normal after his first aid trip: "There was a lump in my throat, and a lot of tears between us on the way back because there's real mixed emotions.
"Of course, we were proud of what we did, but it was always with a bit of sadness about the situation we'd seen.
"We've come back and tried to fit into our normal routine again, but with all this stuff still going on, and all the stories you see in the media, we found over the weeks since, we've really struggled to just sit back.
"Now that we know the people, we have to help them again."
Essex & Suffolk Water have set up drop-off donation points at several of their sites for members of the public to drop off products.
Alongside non-perishable food, pet food, baby products and sanitary products, they're looking to collect medical supplies such as bandages, dressings and wheelchairs.
Daniel says he hopes the public will be able to help out: "I know times are tough everywhere - I feel it, the Greatest Hits listeners feel it and everything's going up in price, but if people can give just a small donation, every little helps, and we will get it to the people who need it."