Sir Rod Stewart has been playing his part to help with the ongoing effort in Ukraine, after the music star brought 16 people away from the border.
Enlisting the support of his family, Rod had managed to rescue families fleeing the Russian invasion, bringing them to safety in Germany.
Although unable to go himself, the 77-year-old Scot had paid for his nephews to take on the huge drive to the Ukrainian border in Poland where the reached a refugee camp.
Having had been "moved to tears" by what his nephews had seen in Poland, Rod had paid for the entire rescue mission, from travel expenses to paid leave.
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The Record reports that Warren and Gavin Cady had joined six other volunteers in the mission, before bringing them to safety in Berlin.
Speaking on Friday, Rod – who posted about the group’s big-hearted feat to his 1.1million Instagram followers – played down his role in the mission.
He said: “I sponsored four trucks driven by my nephews and my chauffeur and a few other gentleman.
“They drove through France, Belgium, Germany and into Poland, dropped off supplies and picked up refugees and dropped them in Berlin.
“It took them three-and-a-half days to get there and back. They are the heroes, not me.”
Taking on the huge journey across Europe, Rod's nephew Warren explained his uncle had forked out for the entire aid convoy in a bid to help.
The 37-year-old said: “I was watching the news and was brought to tears.
“The next morning I went into Uncle Rod’s office and said I wanted to go to Ukraine.
“He was a bit shocked as he feared for my safety, knowing I have two children.
“But when I insisted I was going, he said he would sponsor the whole trip – paying for petrol, vehicles, the lot. He gave me the time off from work, too. He basically covered all the financial stuff.
“Rod is deeply distressed by what is going on in Ukraine. It’s brought him to tears.
“Helping out, to him, is more than donating money and getting publicity.
“Had it not been for security issues, he would have come with us. He wanted to but I insisted he stayed.
“He has been tremendous through it all. Every day he would be on the phone or texting, asking how we were getting on. He was brought to tears when I sent him photos of children at the refugee camp.
“For him to step up like that was amazing.”
Warren told of the suffering he witnessed and the impact it had on him and the other volunteers.
He said: “We were not physically or emotionally prepared for what we saw at the refugee camp.
“There were beds for miles, hysteria, distraught children crying, and shell-shocked mothers. Everyone was exhausted.
“One little girl was lying face down, I gave her a teddy bear, she smiled at me and tears streamed down her face. That really got to me.
“Trafficking is rife at the moment so the group were reluctant to come with us initially. They were just totally shell-shocked.
“The children are traumatised. We stopped at a service station in Poland and a helicopter flew overhead. You could tell they were terrified. Later, we stopped at a McDonald’s. In the toilet someone used the hand dryer and immediately the kids all dropped to the floor. It was awful.
“The guys who came with me can usually handle themselves but we were all in bits.
“I didn’t sleep for four days when I got home. The emotion got to me and I crumbled.
“There’s no sense of achievement because, right now, no help is ever enough.
“I saw Rod and he gave me a big hug and told me how proud he was.” The mercy mission was revealed on air by radio DJ Chris Evans.
An emotional Evans told his Virgin Radio Breakfast Show listeners about Rod and his family’s efforts to help the stricken Ukrainians.
Chris was overwhelmed when he spoke of the veteran rocker’s generosity.
Chris’s wife Natasha had told him what Rod was up to and he shared the story with his listeners.
He added: “I’ve just found all this out now. Isn’t that just great?
“It’s very moving. I haven’t heard Rod Stewart talking about that at all.” Listeners were equally impressed with the singer’s efforts and took to social media to praise him.
One post read: “This is what celebrities should be doing – take a leaf out of Rod’s book.
“Don’t just share stupid posts – go out and do something amazing like this with all their money.”
Another posted: “Rod Stewart is honestly such an all-round wonderful man.”
And one tweet said: “What a role model and incredible person.”
