Man on ninth visit to Ukraine to donate supplies

Gary Fear has already visited Ukraine eight times since the war began

An estate agent will be travelling to Ukraine to donate supplies for the ninth time after raising almost £100,000 since the conflict started.

Gary Fear, from Gnosall, Staffordshire, will be setting off for the eastern European country on Tuesday, where he will buy food and other essentials for people affected by the war.

Mr Fear made his first visit Ukraine in April 2022.

He has raised more than £92,000 in donations since launching an online fundraiser shortly before that first trip.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Mr Fear said the support from people had been “incredible”.

He will be taking a total of £14,000 with him on Tuesday, which he said would pay for an “awful lot of food” and at least one generator for a village left without electricity as a result of the war.

Mr Fear has used the money raised to purchase food and supplies for the Ukrainian people

“When I do think about it, it’s quite humbling,” he said.

“When you see the expression on the face of someone you hand some food to, or when they start crying because someone has taken the trouble to do that... it makes it all worthwhile.”

Asked what the situation was like on the ground in Ukraine, he said it had been “getting worse”.

“We’ve been to places where we’ve had to leave because the village we were in was being shelled,” he said.

“We’ve seen more and more atrocities in terms of damaged buildings and people being displaced.”

Mr Fear said he was also planning a 10th trip to Ukraine

He added that it was “fabulous” to see so many people in Staffordshire come together to raise money to aid Ukrainians in their plight.

Mr Fear revealed he was also planning a 10th trip to the country in January next year.