UNSUNG HEROES
CORNWALL CABBIE’S EPIC 1,200-MILE JOURNEY TO POLAND IN CARS PACKED WITH AID FOR UKRAINE
A Hull-born cabbie has finally returned home after a long and gruelling journey to Poland and back helping in the effort to get aid to war-torn Ukraine. The Hull Daily Mail reports that Darren Tait now has a taxi company in Corn- wall, and decided one day that he could no longer sit and watch the suf- fering in Ukraine on his TV, and he needed to go deliver help to refugees. Darren said that his friends wouldn’t see him go alone, and within a week, they had rallied nine vehicles, full of humanitarian aid, to make the journey to Poland. The group were used to driving long distances, due to being taxi drivers, but nothing could have prepared them for the overwhelming journey they embarked on. The idea started on February 28, after 50-year-old Darren’s family came down to Cornwall to visit him, from Hull. After a weekend full of conversation about Ukraine, Darren said he just didn’t feel right about the situation.
He said: “I suddenly thought that I can’t sit here and watch what is going on from my living room anymore. I was desperate to help and that’s when I thought of the idea of using my taxi business to help deliver supplies. “My wife urged me to sleep on my deci- sion, but I knew we had a couple of minibuses and we could really make a difference, so I posted the idea to my Facebook page, and that way I knew I couldn’t back out.” He then received a very supportive response, with many offering dona- tions, and a few of his friends offering to accompany him on his trip. By the next day, the team had already gathered a huge amount of donations, all brand new, that included sleeping bags, hygiene products, first aid kits and much more. Then, by Saturday 5 March, the team had nine vehicles lined up to make the trip, including minibuses, Mercedes
APRIL 2022
vans and a Land Rover. The group set off on Sunday, March 6, nervous for the long journey ahead and what would await them at the borders. To their surprise, they were greeted with open arms. Darren said: “We encountered a truly surreal experience. “The patrol at the border were person- ally thanking each one of us for our help, and treated us with so much kind- ness and respect. “As we drove through France, Belgium and Germany, so many people were flashing their lights, honking and wav- ing at us, giving their thanks. “Then when we arrived at a church in Warsaw, to give our donations, we were met with tears and complete bewilderment at just how many goods we’d managed to bring and exactly
what they needed.” The emotion really got to Darren on the way home, where he passed many refugees at fuel stops, who had left Ukraine, but had no place to go. He said: “We felt really empty travelling home. We simply felt like we haven’t done enough, so on our next trip back, we hope to do a bit more.” A few members of Darren’s team have stayed behind in Poland, to help trans- port refugees to their host families, where they can, working closely with Polish charities. They hope to go back to Poland with more supplies, donations permitting. The brave group have also set up a GoFundMe page to aid their trip, which you can donate to here:
shorturl.at/aiuyT
PASSING TAXI DRIVER PUTS OUT FIRE IN BELFAST SHOP AFTER ARSON ATTACK
A taxi driver put out a fire in a shop in west Belfast after it was attacked by an arsonist. According to the Leinster Leader, a shop worker escaped injury during the incident on the night of Fri- day 18 March. Police said a man entered the shop on Carrigart Avenue at 8.40pm and sprayed a liquid from a plastic bottle over the electronic equipment, the till and one of the shelves and then ignited the liquid and shouted for the member
of staff to leave. “The suspect left on foot in the direc- tion of Creeslough Park,” Inspector Moutray said. “A passing taxi driver ran into the shop and extinguished the fire. Thankfully they and the member of staff were not harmed.” Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time the incident took place, or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact them.
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