Local businesses Gray Farms, Dean's of Huntly and Hamlyns of Scotland join with charity Own Woman to donate 19 tonnes of food to Ukraine.
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TWO inspirational Banff farmers have organised a huge donation food supplies for people in Ukraine.
Phil Gray and his father Charlie, who own Gray Farms near Portsoy decided to organise a collection to send their farm grown potatoes to Ukraine.
With the help of several other local businesses, the pair managed to donate an incredible 19 tonnes of food which will be distributed to people in the war torn country.
Phil Gray said: "After seeing what the people of Ukraine are going through, we felt a moral responsibility to try and help as much as we could. We had lots of food grown on our farm and my father and I decided we should try and get some of it to people over there."
The farmers donated 17 and a half tonnes of potatoes and also contacted other food producers, with Dean's of Huntly and Boyndie business Hamlyns of Scotland adding further donations of 600 kilos of shortbread and almost two tonnes of porridge oats.
The transport was provided by Aberdeen based charity, Own Woman who have been instrumental in transporting donations from the north-east to Ukraine.
Over the last six weeks, the charity have sent nine lorries and seven vans of donations to Ukraine and are continuing to organise further humanitarian efforts every day/
Adrianna Sosnowska from the charity said: "Phil and Charlie Gray are an amazing example of how people can to help.
"We are so grateful for the support of the Scottish people, its been incredible to receive so much help and support.
"People in Ukraine are really short on food at the moment and are starving to death, providing them with food and first aid is our main priority at the moment.
"I really hope Phil and Charlie will be an inspiration to others, it was all their idea, they contacted me and we got everything set up. It's amazing, being able to fill up a lorry with 19 tonnes of food from Banff and send it all to help people in Ukraine."
The lorry filled with food from Scottish businesses, along with first aid supplies collected by Own Woman, left Banff on Thursday March 31 to begin the week long drive to Ukraine.
The owners of Gray farms have already began amassing more food supplies to send, with a further five tonnes of potatoes already awaiting collection and Dean's of Huntly have also agreed to add further donations when transport becomes available.
Phil continued: "Its great to be able to help even just a bit, if I was in the same situation as the Ukrainian people, I would want others to help and it's just the right thing to do.
"We're hoping our donations will inspire other people to help too. Other people might realise that Phil Gray from Gray farms and Bill Dean from Deans of Huntly can do it, maybe they can find ways to help as well."
