A South Western train driver and Salisbury dad-of-two is raising money to take donations to refugees fleeing Ukraine.
John Halliday, 43, from Salisbury, is a driver on the South Western Railway network, taking trains to and from Exeter, London and Southampton.
He is taking holiday from his job driving trains to help drive a team from the UK to Poland next month.
John said: “I am so happy to be helping out and doing something. I work on the railway, I do not do much else. I used to play rugby for Salisbury Rugby Club.”
John heard about a large group of volunteers in Cornwall – called From Cornwall with Love – organised by a Cornish man called Darren Tait, from his brother, paramedic Paul Halliday.
The group is taking donations to the country, and John will be sharing the driving for this 2,500-mile trip with his brother, from April 15 to April 17.
The group has a contact in Warsaw to help distribution there.
John added: “It is a great thing Darren is doing and I am glad to be a part of it.
“We are just looking for money, which will all going towards getting us across the border and fulfil what we wanted to do.”
To donate, visit John’s GoFundMe page: gofundme.com/f/pjb78-ukraine-humanitarian-aid
Newsquest has pledged to donate proceeds from sales of some of its largest newspapers to the Red Cross DEC Ukraine Humanitarian appeal, which is dedicated to helping and saving those affected by this horrific and bloody war. We’re asking you to join us.
Please join us: justgiving.com/fundraising/therewithukraine
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None of the donation will be collected by Newsquest. Financial transactions are with JustGiving to donate to the British Red Cross Society DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross Society raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.
For more information visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund Charity Registration No. Eng/Wales 220949,Scot SC037738, IOM 0752, Jers430
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