A kind-hearted Paisley couple have made their family and community proud after raising thousands of pounds to travel across Europe and help refugees fleeing Ukraine.
Rebecca and Olek Kowalski were determined to provide aid to those caught up in conflict and decided to drive a car full of supplies over 1500 miles in their mammoth charitable mission.
When they arrived at the Polish border in Chelm, they continued to spend the donated cash on food and essentials and deliver them to those in need.
During their week-long stay, the pair from Ralston also offered transport to refugees who had arranged accommodation far from their war-stricken country and drove them to their temporary homes.
They also took families to train stations in cities such as Warsaw where they would eventually journey to homes in Berlin and further afield.
Rebecca, 55, and Olek, 51, say they felt more connected than most to the crisis in Ukraine, where Rebecca once lived during her time at university in Donetsk.
And Polish husband Olek's dad's family actually had to leave their homeland after World War Two in fear of Russian invasion.
After their successful trip, the couple are this week thanking their generous donors and members of the community for getting behind their fundraiser which allowed them to "really make a difference".
Rebecca told us: “We were pretty overwhelmed at how supportive everybody was. It was my husband’s idea, he was the one really driving it, and before we knew it we were off driving across Europe.
“We have friends and family from all over the country and abroad so they were able to get in touch through our page and donate if they wanted to.
“We raised about £3000 in total which included people putting cash through our letterbox.
“Even our local church got wind of it and did a collection for us. Everybody was really wanting to help. They could have gave money to a national disaster appeal but this way made them feel even more close to it.
“It was nice to not only help the people in Ukraine but get everybody involved here too.”
Rebecca says she and Olek gained a clear insight into the ongoing war and how it affects people fleeing their homes.
They ended up borrowing a people carrier prior to the trip so they could fit in as much provisions as they could.
Speaking of the journey, Rebecca added: “It was quite the drive. We had to get down south and across the tunnel then we arrived in France and stayed in Dunkirk. We weren’t very organised, we were winging it so we didn’t really know where we were staying each night.
“The next day we drove across Germany, Belgium and Holland and stayed in eastern Germany. And then we made it over to Poland the next day.
“Even when we got there we still weren’t sure what we were going to do, but we were able to connect with people to help them by dropping off supplies or taking them where they needed to go.
“We were directed to a refugee centre in Chelm on the Polish border. We picked up families and drove them different places to get them to safe houses where they had arranged to stay.
“One of them was in the middle of nowhere and it was the weirdest thing having to just leave a mother and daughter there. We didn’t want to just leave without checking they were OK
“The next day we picked up another family from the refugee centre who were heading to Warsaw to get the train to Berlin."
Afterwards, the couple were put in touch with a crisis centre in Krakow where thousands of Ukrainians were staying and attending to collect supplies.
“Supermarkets were quite cheap there so we would go in, practically empty the shelves and go back and drop it all off at the crisis centre", Rebecca explained.
"We did several trips with that. You could actually see where it was going. It was just nice to be able to do something. It really was. The situation is so terrible."
In their appeal online which garnered lots of support, Rebecca wrote: “I studied at university in Ukraine and stayed in Donetsk and Olek and I are just two people who care deeply about what is happening in Ukraine and struggle to go about business as usual while so many people are suffering.
“We perhaps feel a little more connected as I lived and made great friends in Ukraine as a student and Olek's dad's family had to leave Poland after WW2, never to return, for fear of the Russians.”
“Olek’s family had to flee from Poland during the war which I think is why he feels so strongly about the situation", Rebecca added.
She also says her family are interested in homing refugees at their home in Paisley and are hoping to offer this help in future.
Reflecting on her experience, the 55-year-old said: “I’m really glad we did it. It was really insightful and great to see the difference ordinary people can actually make.
“A lot of what we did was off the cuff but we managed to make a difference for a lot of people which was nice to see.
“We still have money left over that’s been donated so we plan on going back again soon to help again in any way we can."
The fundraising page is still live and you can donate here.
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