Agent Diary: ‘We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our customers in response to the war in Ukraine’

If we all do a little then our combined efforts could make a difference, says Ponders Travel managing director Clare Dudley

During the first few days of watching and listening to the terror that has been unfolding in Ukraine, we at Ponders Travel – and I’m sure many of you as well – were very disturbed and upset by the harrowing scenes that were and still are happening.

We tried to think if there was anything that we as a travel business could do to help and decided to support the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal by collecting essential items and donations to support the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion.

We decided to support the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal by collecting essential items and donations to support the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion

In the past, we have made similar collections for those in need. These have included the Grenfell disaster and helping the homeless in Rome, which was done to coincide with a personal trip there.

We hear on the news that Ukrainians are crossing the border into Poland without any of their belongings, and we have seen collections pop up around the country through friends and family on Facebook.

Collection hub

We know from experience that many people want to get involved and help in times of crisis, so we love to make our shop a hub for those who want to help out locally. We’re on a small village high street and this allows easy access for many people in our area.

We asked for brand-new items only and suggested these should include basics such as nappies, toiletries and thermal clothing.

In just four days, our shop was bursting at the seams with items. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our customers and local area. So many people were grateful to us for arranging and coordinating something local, allowing them to do their bit.

It was hard to think what we could do to help our friends in Ukraine, but this proves that if we all do a little then hopefully our combined efforts will start making a difference

We took our collection to a Polish shop about 20 miles away. They are taking all the donations to London and on to Krakow. We had a full van load just from our shop!

As well as launching an online JustGiving page to encourage donations to the British Red Cross’s Ukraine appeal, we also put out charity buckets in the shop for locals who wanted to donate cash – and donations are still being collected.

The Ponders team have been overwhelmed and are very grateful to all our local clients who have kindly donated so much, and to all our clients and trade friends who have helped us raise more than £700 so far. It was hard to think what we could do to help our friends in Ukraine, but this proves that if we all do a little then hopefully our combined efforts will start making a difference.

Local radio

Because of our efforts, we were featured on the local BBC radio station, and our Facebook page was shared many times too.

I couldn’t help wondering what an amazing thing it would be if every travel agent in the country were to get behind this idea and do something similar. It would show the travel industry in a truly positive light.

We’ve all been through a tough couple of years, but in comparison to Covid this war is a whole new level of human terror

We’ve all been through a tough couple of years, but in comparison to Covid – and all the economic impacts of the pandemic – this war is a whole new level of human terror.

We had to do something to show our support.

It can pay to be kind

You never know where your next enquiry will come from, and where doing positive things can lead. We didn’t set out to encourage business when we decided to collect donations for the Red Cross,
but one lady who had brought in some socks and nappies for our appeal left having made an enquiry for a lovely holiday. So it seems it can pay to be kind. We’ve also met many people who had never previously been into our shop before, and hopefully our kindness will encourage them to think of us when planning their next holiday. You never know.