Local legend Colin Clarke is one step closer to his goal and is now set to travel to Poland to help transport Ukrainian refugees to safe homes.

Colin, who lives in St Ann’s Chapel, made an impassioned plea last week to Tavistock and Tamar Valley residents to help him raise money to buy a van which he will use to transport Ukrainian refugees from a Warsaw centre to new homes across Europe.

He has now raised nearly £6,000 and has been able to purchase a 17-seater van for the journey across Europe.

Van for Life
The van that Colin will use to transport refugee families alongside the famous Land Rover he drove on his last journey to Poland. (Tindle)

Colin said he has been stunned by the generosity of Tavistock and Tamar Valley residents and the eagerness of so many to offer support him and the ‘Van for Life’ scheme.

‘So many people are donating. Everyone’s suffering hardships with money at the moment but still people are giving; people who have nothing to give.

‘I went to The Rising Sun [pub] at Gunnislake and my daughter had made a pot to collect money. We put it out and by the time I left there was £97. I didn’t stay long,’ he said.

Colin is now preparing for the long journey ahead and hopes to set off on March 31 with the van full of vital necessities for the refugees including binoculars and sleeping bags.

‘I have got a contact in Poland,’ he said. ‘We asked: “what do you need desperately?” and I got quite a scary message back. She said: “I know they’re expensive but what we really need is bullet proof vests.” I thought: “Ok, that’s doable,” but when I asked [suppliers] they said that all the vests had already gone [to Ukraine].

‘This trip is going to be very hard. We’ve just got to hope for a miracle and that biological and chemical weapons aren’t used against these poor people.’

After unloading the supplies, Colin will spend a week at the Warsaw centre helping to transport refugees from the centre to new homes as familes across Europe begin to agree to host Ukrainian people in their homes.

Inside of Van for Life
The van can comfortably carry 17 people (including driver) along with enough space for luggage and other essentials (Tindle)

He also hopes to bring back Ukrainian refugees to Britain and drop them off with those Tavistock families who have agreed to host refugees as part of  the Government’s recent initiative to provide help to the millions of Ukrainians who have had to leave their homes.

He will then travel back to Poland and leave the van at the refugee centre so that its volunteers can use it to transport more refugees to their new homes.

Colin’s initiative has inspired others in the Tavistock and Tamar Valley region to assist  displaced Ukrainian families. So far, a local pub is planning a fundraiser for ‘Van for Life’ while a local coach company has contacted Colin and may provide refugee centres with more vehicles.

The ‘Van for Life’ scheme was sparked by Colin’s recent trip to Poland with Darren Tait’s convoy to bring much needed supplies to a refugee centre in Warsaw.

Amy and Colin
Times reporter Amy Hetherington (left) with Colin (right). She has followed Colin’s story from the beginning. (Tindle)

While there, Colin and his co-driver Adam Wrobel were struck by the refugees’ desperation and felt compelled to do more to help.

The pair agreed to transport a family of six to their new home in Frankfurt where a family had agreed to take them in.

Having seen the difference that his act of kindness made to the refugee family, Colin decided to go one step further and organise a van that could be left at the refugee centre for others to help refugees reach new homes.

He said that it would be great if ‘Van for Life’ became a national initiative.

To donate to Colin’s cause visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/colin-clarke-43