A BROTHER and sister from Dorset have been helping refugees fleeing Ukraine to reach safety in Poland.
Jade Jones, 28, and Luke Jones, 32, from Poole flew to Poland on Monday and registered as volunteers at a camp providing refuge for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The siblings have been driving from the camp, across the border and into Ukraine, where they have collected refugees to bring back to safety.
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Jade, a full-time carer for her mother and ex-NHS worker, said: “We watched it all unfold on the news and had a feeling of helplessness.
“I was in a position to be able to do more so I was thinking, why aren’t I doing more?”
The pair departed Bournemouth Airport on Monday with three suitcases packed full of donations made by friends and family.
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They hired a car on arrival to Poland and then began a three-hour journey to the border.
Jade said: “The atmosphere (in Poland) is heavy. People are very aware of what’s going on and it’s sad, but at the same time I feel like the people are trying to stay in high spirits.
“They’re really coming together, and I think that’s warming people’s hearts.”
Jade and Luke initially planned to drop the donations and then return to the UK, but the pair found a refugee camp- an old shopping centre known as Castorama - where they began to help, distributing their donations and then registering as volunteers.
Family and friends have given money donations to the siblings which has allowed them to assist in more ways than they’d hoped.
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Jade said: “The donations have paid for our fuel so we can drive from Krakow to the border and into Ukraine to collect refugees."
She added: "It's a bizarre atmosphere (in Ukraine). There is no sense of panic- everything is very calm, even with such a high military presence.
“We saw a refugee family and they were carrying all their things. We had an empty suitcase at this point, so I just told my brother to go and give it to them.
“They were nearly in tears.
“It's all so sad. We’re just doing what we can.”
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