Globetrotting Wiganer creates fund-raiser for Ukraine

Dylan Harris, who founded Lupine Travel, said he was devastated by Russian’s invasion of the country.

Over the past few weeks, he began collecting donations alongside a local charity to be sent to Ukraine: everything from food to medical supplies.

He has now set up an online fund-raiser to cover fuel costs to allow vans to make additional journeys.

Dylan said: “Ukraine means a lot to me as I've been visiting there regularly since 2006 and I've run tours there through my travel agency since 2008.

"I take tourists, photographers and media to various places around the country including Chernobyl. I even took the BBC there in 2013 to film an episode of Top Gear.

"Since the war broke out it's been heart-breaking to see the devastation and to worry about all the people I'm close to over there.

"Some of the staff I work with have been able to leave but most of the guides I use are still stuck there.

“I wanted to try and do something to help, even in a small way, so I set up a fundraiser to help collect funds to pay for fuel costs to take over donations of food and medical supplies.

"There are multiple organisations raising funds, resulting one or two vans leaving each week from Wigan since the war started.

"Aspull One house is doing an amazing job collecting donations and Wigan Youth Zone also got involved recently and have collected both items to send over and funds for fuel."

The fund-raiser’s initial target of £500 has been smashed with the Just Giving page standing at four times that amount.

Trips are being co-ordinated by Vitalii – a Ukrainian who has lived in Wigan since the initial war broke out in Donbas eight years ago.

Dylan added: “I've so far raised enough fuel costs for four return trips.

"It's all been made possible by Vitalii. He is currently giving up his time to organise all the transport and sort all the donations out into boxes and pack them ready for the drive over.

“The last van sent supplies to Irpin and Bucha to people who were in desperate need after their houses were destroyed.”

To donate to the fund-raiser click here