Hurst Pub Landlord Brought To Tears After Export Company Offers Free Transport For Donations To Ukraine

The landlord of the Horse Inn Hurst has said he was overwhelmed by the generosity shown by people wanting to help get essential supplies to Ukraine.

Tim and Lainey, the husband and wife team who run the pub, have been collecting money and donations such as surgical gloves, gowns, antiseptic, military grade tourniquets, bandages and bodybags to be sent to the war-torn country.

They also had a "shopping list" from a children's home of items needed there.

But finding themselves with a large of amount of supplies and realising it was going to be an expensive trip, Tim reached out for help. On his website he describes the incredible generosity of others who wanted to get involved:

"I was going to drive one of my delivery vans to Ukraine to deliver the vast volume of much-needed and essential items which had been donated to my help-appeal, but we were short of drivers and driving to Ukraine would cost upward of £2000 per van in fuel alone. 

"Speculatively I reached out to supply chain contacts I have worked with for many years because I appreciated that shipping 26 pallets at a time in an articulated lorry would be a much more effective way of delivering vital supplies. 

"In a matter of days, they had reduced me, a hardened businessman of 55 to tears with their generosity. I had hoped they would let me use a lorry or two at cost – approximately £8000 per lorry per round trip journey, but they came back to me offering me not just a couple of lorries but all the trucks I need for free and gratis and volunteered to pay for the necessary drivers, the necessary fuel, cold storage and haulage association fees.

"They have also offered to arrange the export and customs paperwork as well as using their professional connections and logistics skills to plan drop off points on the Polish border and in Ukraine. What an amazing gesture from generous and thoroughly decent people!

"On the strength of their amazing generosity, I have been able to widen the scope of my help-appeal reaching out to businesses acquaintances near and far as well as to the local community who have volunteered to help raise money for crucial medical supplies (eg for burns, shrapnel wounds and infections but for every day health essentials such as toothbrushes, diapers and sanitary towels). 

"Everything we send to Ukraine has to be brand new, sterile and packed for transport – to fill a 26-pallet articulated lorry is expensive, but every penny we are able to raise will go directly to buying these much-needed supplies."

Tim and his wife are also asking people who manufacture and supply health sanitary products if they would be willing to donate or let him buy from them at cost.

"If you are like my wife and I, just ordinary people with a heart, please give whatever money you can afford. I guarantee that every penny donated will get through to the brave people of Ukraine."

Details of how you can donate via The Horse Inn Hurst are here:

https://thehorseinnhurst.co.uk/donation/