BOURNEMOUTH MP Tobias Ellwood visited the donation Castlepoint warehouse yesterday, speaking with organisers about the overwhelming efforts from the Bournemouth community.
Mr Ellwood, who represents Bournemouth East, offered his full support for the Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine operation which began last week.
He said: “It’s absolutely incredible and it’s all down to these guys here.
“This is unique in Britain and what’s happening here (in Bournemouth) is now spreading to different parts of the UK, where they are using this as a simple model of taking advantage of the wonderful generosity of the British people.”
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Volunteers have been turning up at the warehouse at Castlepoint to help with the overwhelming amount of donations for Ukraine, sorting through donated goods and boxing them ahead of their shipment to Poland.
The operation came as a result of the Facebook group- Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine- which was formed by Karol Swiacki last week.
When asked about Karol, Mr Ellwood said: “He’s a star.
“It’s fantastic and the scale is enormous. It has all happened in a number of days.
“It shows you the initiative. When there is a necessity, it breeds innovation in this way and it’s infectious. You can see that here with everybody wanting to come in and volunteer.”
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Several lorries left the warehouse on Friday and organisers expect more vehicles to leave with donations over the coming days.
Mr Ellwood hopes that he can offer further support to the operation.
He said: “I’m going to try and organise some flights and contact some airlines like Easy Jet and British Airways to see how I can support.
“You can see the atrocity that’s taking place and how Ukraine has been devastated by this war. The people of Ukraine are desperate so we need to get this over there as quick as we can.”
Karol Swiacki remains overwhelmed by the response of the community. He said: “This is unbelievable. Everybody is so organised and so focused.
“I just spoke to the embassy who have said that this is the best action for Ukraine in the whole of the UK.
“I am proud of everybody here. We are the army of hope.”
Organisers have now secured two additional warehouses in Poole and Bournemouth which will mean that people can continue to donate in support of Ukraine.
Ola, a 26-year-old volunteer at the warehouse, said: “We still want volunteers. We still want donations.
“Karol is regularly speaking to the boarder, so we know which items are most needed. That’s why the list is always changing.”
People wishing to donate can visit the Facebook page ‘Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine’ for a full list of accepted items.
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