Matei, (far right) travelled with his father and two volunteer drivers to drop off goods in Romania

A kind-hearted student who transported hundreds of items to Ukrainian refugees sheltering in neighbouring Romania has thanked everyone who supported his appeal.
Matei, from Monmouth School for Boys, was left in awe by the truly overwhelming amount of goods that had been donated by children, parents and staff.
“I would like to say just how satisfying and hopeful it felt that we were making an impact on the events of the world around us,” said 16-year-old Matei.
“From those who just donated a little, to the volunteer drivers who came with us, to the school surprising me completely with the scale of the response, I am just so happy with how it all turned out.”
The night before Matei and his father set off for Romania, they transferred the aid gathered from the school to a longer-term storage area.
“My father and I, along with two other volunteer drivers with their own van, set off on the Friday after loading all the aid we could carry,” said Matei.
“There was so much donated that not all of it fitted into our vans but we ensured that anything we could not take ourselves, was sent to Ukraine by other routes.”
The group then started their journey across Europe, going past Brussels, Cologne and Budapest; and they all slept in the van overnight.
“We finally reached our destination of Suceava in north-eastern Romania at 8pm local time on the Sunday,” said Matei.
“We unloaded everything with the help of the local volunteers. I had a couple of words with them, and it was amazing what they were doing.
“They had converted a hotel ballroom into a refugee shelter – in just two weeks!
“They helped transport refugees from the border to the safety of the shelter, where they could have a few nights rest before getting free transport to further afield.”
Matei concluded: “The amount of goods we gathered from just Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools was truly overwhelming and I was left in awe. Thank you to everyone who supported our appeal.”