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23
Dec 2022
Toys donated in Knaresborough reach Ukraine in time for Christmas
Toys donated by people in the Harrogate district have been distributed to children in Ukraine in time for Christmas.
Knaresborough man Bob Frendt drove a lorry filled with £30,000 of toys across Europe to ensure children in the war-torn country did not go without this festive period.
Now, he has received photos and videos of some of his toys being handed to youngsters for the country's independence day, with more to be opened for Christmas too.
He said:
Bob appealed through the Stray Ferret for help to collect toys in the summer, and said he was overwhelmed by the support he received.
It included individual donations, as well as one anonymous businessman who offered to pay to fill the lorry with toys.
Mr Frendt set off in early November with the delivery, accompanied by his wife, Maureen, and they took the lorry over the border into Ukraine.
It was his sixth trip to eastern Europe since the Russian invasion in February. The previous visits had seen him take medical equipment to help treat Ukrainians injured in the war.
Read more:
- Knaresborough couple deliver Christmas toys for children in Ukraine
- Donor to fill Knaresborough man's lorry with hundreds toys for Ukraine
Despite being retired as a lorry driver, Mr Frendt intends to complete the trip again next year and has already begun collecting goods to take with him.
He has several hundred surgical gowns collected from another organisation that did not need them, and last week bought a mobility scooter for a soldier who has lost both of his legs.
Bob and Maureen FrendtHaving bought much of it out of his own pocket, Mr Frendt is now hoping to get more support to enable him to fill his lorry again by March. He said:
Mr Frendt is planning to organise a fundraising disco for Valentine's Day in the hope of raising money to buy more equipment, and funding the £2,500, six-day trip to Ukraine.
Anyone who would like to donate or help him can click here to send him an email.
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