Resident fundraises thousands of pounds for Ukraine appeal

A resident from Larchfield care home in Leeds has been widely praised for fundraising more than £2,000 for those affected by the war in Ukraine. 

Ernest Horner has been collecting donations for the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian appeal outside the Morrisons supermarket in Hunslet.  

For the last three weeks, Ernest has spent almost five hours every single day outside the store entrance accepting donations. The team at Larchfield regularly visit him to make sure he is OK and supply him with essential items like cups of tea.  

So far, Ernest and his trusty donation bucket have managed to raise an astonishing £2,333! Ernest’s fundraising has received a considerable amount of local support, and he has been made an honorary Morrisons staff member, in recognition of his efforts.  

Ernest has been overwhelmed by the generosity residents have shown for his fundraising appeal.  

He said:

I just want to do my bit for the people of Ukraine. I hope that the money can do something to help. I want to keep raising money for as long as I can but hopefully this terrible war and humanitarian crisis will not last much longer!  

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated. Thank you to everyone at Larchfield for supporting me and the team at Morrisons too. I’ve always felt that the best thing to do in the face of human tragedy is do whatever you can to help. 

Anita Goodfellow, Manager at Larchfield, said:

We’re all so proud of Ernest and his incredible efforts to help others and it’s incredible to see how much he has raised already!  

We’re delighted to support Ernest with his fundraising for the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian appeal. It’s been really humbling to see Ernest doing this and also inspiring how all his neighbours and my colleagues donated to the appeal without a moment’s hesitation. 

Kelly Cheetham, Community Champion at Morrisons Hunslet, said:

From everyone at Morrisons we would like to congratulate Ernest for raising an outstanding amount of money for the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal. We are so proud of his hard work and dedication, and we look forward to seeing how much more he will raise.

For more information on Larchfield, please click here. 

Donations to the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal can be made via this link.