Morrisons shoppers help to boost Diss and District Rotary Club’s plan to send fire engines to Ukraine

An event aimed at raising enough money to send two fire engines to war-torn Ukraine has been hailed as a huge success.

Diss and District Rotary Club hosted the two-day event outside Morrisons, in Diss, on Friday and Saturday last week.

Mark Chamley, Rotarian and club president-elect, said: “Both days surpassed our hopes and expectations The people of Diss and the surrounding area were, as ever, so generous in helping us.”

The whole event, including Gift Aid, raised £3,100, which will go towards fuel costs, a ferry and other expenses and equipment.

“The amount is just brilliant and we are so happy that it will help us get these engines from Norfolk to Ukraine,” said Mr Chamley.

One is set for Uzhgorod in western Ukraine, with the other going to Odessa in the south-west of the country.

Uzhgorod has a number of worn-out engines, which lack modern equipment.

Odessa is in need after its station sustained a direct hit and specialises in going into high-risk areas after drone and missile attacks.

The engines will make the trip across Europe on April 19, driven by fire service personnel who will donate their time to get them to their much-needed destinations.

“A massive thank you to everyone that has supported us in our bid,” said Mr Chamley. “These engines are in excellent condition and will be useful to Ukraine for decades to come.”

To donate, and for more details, go online to www.dissrotary.org.uk.

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